
Class __t_iAJ|L 
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Copyright N° 



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ANTARCTIC _CIRCLE 



CIRCL_E _/j 



EARLY VOYAGES 
TO AMERICA 

SCA LE OF MILES 

600 1000 

ColuiiibuBS First Voyage H»8 

Columbus' 8 Second Voyagi- U93-iH 

Cabots 1497-98 

ColuiubUB-8 Third Voyage 1498 

Columbus s Kouith Voyage 1502-04 
MagellttU 1519-22 
Drake 15 
Hudson 1609 



FOUNDERS 
OF OUR COUNTRY 



BY 



FANNY E. COE 

TEACHER IN THE BOSTON NORMAL SCHOOL; AUTHOR 

OF "SCHOOL READERS," "MODERN EUROPE," 

"HEROES OF EVERYDAY LIFE," ETC. 




NEW YORK . : • CINCINNATI ■ : • CHICAGO 

AMERICAN BOOK COMPANY 



£/sr 



Copyright, 1912, by 
FANNY E. COE. 



Copyright, 1912, in Great Britain 

founders of our country. 
w. p. I 



©C!.A3:}0510 



PREFACE 

History is coming more and more to the place of 
dignity to which it is entitled in the programs of our 
elementary schools. The American Historical Associ- 
ation, through its Committee of Eight, published, in 
1909, a definite and carefully considered plan for work 
in eight elementary grades. " Founders of Our Coun- 
try " is a book for the fourth grade, which carefully 
follows their program for that year. 

One of the basic principles which guided the Com- 
mittee of Eight in their plan was thus expressed by 
them : " Fundamental, also, to the interpretation of 
our program, is the proposition that if we would 
maintain continued interest through the elementary 
course, we offer in each of the several years one dis- 
tinct portion or section of our country's history; that 
we present this fully and finally as far as the history 
teaching in the elementary schools goes; that we 
avoid the recurrence in successive years of subject 
matter that has once been outlined for the elementary 
pupils." Since certain subjects — such as individual 
explorers, pioneers, and settlers — belong to this grade 
alone, the author has endeavored to make the treat- 
ment of these topics thorough and ample. 

Children are not generally able to interpret small 
or complicated maps. Large wall maps may be used, 
where conditions are presented such as they were at 
the time of the events considered. Maps crowded 
with items representing present-day conditions are 



4 PREFACE 

bewildering and undesirable. A sketch map such as 
the teacher may rapidly draw upon the board may be 
of admirable service. It will show direction and dis- 
tance, routes, and those places only that the teacher 
needs in the demonstration. 

The use of a limited number of carefully chosen 
pictures is stimulating. The pictures should present 
costumes, surroundings, and actions that are true to 
the times. Otherwise they are worse than useless. 
Too many pictures of the same event are confusing. 
The child's imagination is entitled to some freedom. 

The moral value of history is of superlative impor- 
tance. Pasteur wrote: " From the life of men whose 
passage is marked by a trace of durable light, let us 
piously gather up every word, every incident likely to 
make known the incentives of their great souls for the 
education of posterity." Pasteur. " looked upon the 
cult of great men as a great principle of national edu- 
cation, and believed that children, as soon as they 
could read, should be made acquainted with the heroic 
or benevolent souls of great men." There is hope for 
the nation that reveres the memories of its noblest 
leaders. There is education of the will which comes 
through the early introduction of the young to strong, 
forceful personalities who "highly resolved" and so 
" highly achieved." 

As a history reader, as a language book, and as 
a source book for moral training, it is hoped that 
" Founders of Our Country " will prove itself of value 
to the children of the nation. 



CONTENTS 



The Early Years of Columbus . 
The First Voyage of Columbus . 
The Later Voyages of Columbus 
The Quest for a Fountain .... 

The Story of Cortes 

A Wandering in the Wilderness 
The Story of Magellan .... 
The Cabots, Discoverers of North America 
'•The Furrow about the World" 
Sir Walter Raleigh, Pioneer 
Champlain, the Father of New France 
The Story of Henry Hudson 
John Saiith. the Founder of Virginia 
Miles Standish. Captain of Plymouth 
John Winthrop, Builder of a Free State 
John Eliot, the Missionary Pioneer . 
Philip, Chief of the Wampanoags 
Pilgrim and Puritan Life .... 
New Netherland : Old New York 
A Quaker in the New World 
Blackbeard, the Last of the Pirates 
The Father of Georgia .... 

Down the Mississippi . . . . ' . 
The Jesuit Missionary in America 
The Trapper and the Soldier of New France 
The Youth of George Washington 
Benjamin Franklin, Guide. Philosopher, and Friend to 
the American People .... 



7 

i6 
26 
36 
41 
52 
63 
75 



III 

123 
132 

153 
167 
179 
187 
202 
218 

244 
251 
266 
279 
288 
296 

310 



FOUNDERS OF OUR COUNTRY 

THE EARLY YEARS OF COLUMBUS 

Nearly five hundred years ago there was born in 
the city of Genoa (jen''o-a) a boy named Christopher 
Columbus. His parents were poor, and their family 
was a large one. They had a daughter and four sons, 
of whom Christopher was the eldest. 

The father could not send his boys to college. Some 
years of schooling they might have, but as they grew 
tall and strong they must make their own living. 

Christopher and his brother BarthoFomew loved 
their books dearly. At school they studied Latin and 
geography and arithmetic. They knew a little of the 
stars and of their movements. 

Whenever they found a book of travel or adventure 
they read it eagerly. But better than any book of 
travel were the streets and the docks of their own 
native city of Genoa. 

Genoa at this time was one of the two richest cities 
in Italy. She had a great trade with the East. Ships 
of many countries were seen in her fine harbor ; sailors 
from far-away places lounged through her streets. 

7 



8 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 

Wonderful stories of sea monsters, of whirlpools, and 
of other dangers of the deep were overheard by the 
young Columbus on his way to and from school. 

The world five hundred years ago was very different 
from the world we know to-day. America had never 
been heard of. Europe, central and southern Asia, 
and northern Africa made up the known universe. 

The distant East was the quarter of the world in 
which every one was most interested. In the far East 
was untold wealth. Gold, silver, and precious stones 
were supposed to be as plentiful as pebbles on the sea- 
shore. 

From China and Japan and the Indies in the far East 
came the rich silks and valuable spices that brought 
wealth to Genoa. Weeks and months passed as the 
slow caravans bearing this rich freight crossed Asia to 
the Black Sea. There the goods were loaded on ships 
which returned to Genoa with their precious freight. 
The merchants and the sailors talked much of the East. 
Those who listened were dazzled by their tales. 

The Columbus family had been weavers for genera- 
tions. Christopher's father was teaching him the 
trade. But the boy was not contented. 

As he sat on the wharves looking over the sparkling 
waters, with the voices of the sailors in his ears, and the 
salt air in every breath, the wonder, the mystery of the 
sea was like a spell upon him. Always it called him to 
come and to find, 



THE EARLY YEARS OF COLUMBUS 9 

These days with the sea sealed, the fate of young 
Christopher. He would be a sailor, and some day per- 
chance a great captain. 




" Always the sea called him to come and to find." 

His first voyage was made at fourteen. After that 
time there were many voyages. Sometimes there were 
sharp fights with pirates. But always Christopher 
was learning the ways of ships, of the sea, and of men. 



lO CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 

Afloat or ashore, he continued his geography, astronomy, 
and other studies that would help him as a navigator. 

Thus the years went by until Columbus was a man 
of thirty-four. His brother Bartholomew had led 
much the same life, and was now living at the capital of 
Por'tugal. There Christopher joined him about 1470. 

This was a wise move. Portugal was fitting out more 
exploring expeditions than any other country. This 
was owing to the fact that one of the great princes of 
Portugal used his money in this way. Prince Henry, 
the Navigator, he was called. 

The wealth of the East now seemed farther from 
Europe than ever. Much of the fine caravan trade 
had been broken up by the Turks. They had conquered 
certain countries and refused to let the traders pass 
through. 

This made all Europe eager to find another way to 
the East. Prince Henry hoped to find one around 
Africa. Many were the expeditions he sent southward. 

Farther and farther the timid Portuguese captains 
crept along the coast of Africa, but still that great land 
mass loomed up on their left and stretched ever and 
ever southward. 

Some bold thinkers began to whisper that a shorter 
way to China might be found by sailing due west across 
the unknown Atlantic Ocean. Columbus was one of 
these thinkers. 

He was too poor to hire ships and men himself. He 



THE EARLY YEARS OF COLUMBUS ii 

would need a patron to help him. He did not act 
hastily. It was ten long years before he began to seek 
help. Then he asked King John of Portugal to furnish 
the necessary ships and men. 

What did Columbus look like at this time? He 
was a tall and powerfully built man, with fair ruddy 
complexion and keen blue-gray eyes that easily kindled ; 
while his waving white hair was quite picturesque. 
His manner was courteous, so that strangers were 
quickly won. There was an air of authority about him, 
as suited a man of high purpose. ' 

King John talked over the scheme of Columbus 
with his councilors. Some thought it foolish; others 
thought it good; but all considered it expensive. Then 
King John did a shabby, underhand deed. He bor- 
rowed the saihng maps of Columbus, and loaned them 
to a captain whom he ordered to set out secretly over 
the very route planned by Columbus. If he succeeded 
in finding a new route to China and the Indies, King 
John would not have to divide the glory and the profits 
with Columbus. 

The undertaking did not succeed, however. The 
sailors' hearts failed before the great waste of waters. 
Home they came; their story was soon known; and 
Columbus, justly indignant, turned to the court of Spain. 

King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain were 
carrying on a fierce war with the Moors. These were 
an African people who had held many of the fairest 



THE EARLY YEARS OF COLUMBUS 



13 



parts of Spain for hundreds of years. They were not 
Christians, so that all Europe was glad at the successes 
of Ferdinand and Isabella. 

Columbus followed the court from city to city. 
Again and again he made his plea before the rulers. 
Often he showed his plans to learned men who had been 
gathered to listen to him. Sometimes he hoped ; often 

he despaired. 

Five weary years 

passed slowly by. 

Columbus was a 

brave man with 

a strong purpose. 

He had need to be. 

A weaker man would 

have given up. 

At length, sick at 
heart, he decided to 
seek help in France. 
Taking his son, a lad 
of eleven or twelve, he 
set forth on his journey » 
Not far from the port 
of Palos (pahlos) they 
stopped at a monastery. 
The boy was hungry and thirsty, and the kind monks 
would gladly give him bread and water. 

The monks were much interested in the gaunt, har- 




" The boy was hungry and thirsty." 



14 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 



assed father. The prior talked with him, and then 
sent for two other Hsteners. One was Martin Pinzon 
(peen-thonO, a well-to-do shipowner of Palos. 

To these friendly hearers Columbus poured forth 
his whole story. Their hearts were won. Pinzon said 





" He was overtaken by a swift 
messenger." 

he would sail with Colum- 
bus. The prior exclaimed 
that Spain must not lose 
the honor of the great 
discovery. 

This new friend, the 
prior, was an old friend of 

the queen. He hastened to place the matter before 
her. He was successful. Isabella sent a summons to 
Columbus to come to the court, and with it came over 
one thousand dollars for his expenses. All seemed 
going well. 



THE EARLY YEARS OF COLUMBUS 15 

The terms which Columbus proposed, however, al- 
most lost his cause again. He claimed the title of ad- 
miral, the office of governor over the new lands he might 
discover, and one tenth of all the wealth he should find. 

The sovereigns would not consent to these demands. 
Columbus was obstinate. He mounted his little mule 
and turned towards France. 

Six miles away he was overtaken by a swift messenger. 
Isabella demanded his return. She consented to all 
his terms, and he was to set sail as soon as the ships 
could be made ready. 

The agreement was signed April 17, 1492. Colum- 
bus shed tears of joy as he thanked God that the long 
waiting was at an end. 



THE FIRST VOYAGE OF COLUMBUS 

The expedition was to sail from Palos. Three small 
vessels were brought together, — the Pinta (peen'tah), 
the Nina (neen'yah), and the Santa Maria (sahn'tah 
mah-ree'ah). 

The Santa Maria, the largest of the three, would 
to-day scarcely serve as a coasting schooner. No one 
would think of setting off to sea in her. The Pinta 
and the Nina were not even decked over. 

To find crews for these vessels was difficult. Every 
one feared the dangers of the unknown ocean. Four 
months' pay in advance was no temptation. Prisoners 
for debt were pardoned if they would consent to em- 
bark. In one way and another, eighty-eight men were 
gathered for the voyage. 

On August 3, 1492, the priests blessed the little 
company, and they sailed. On the shore stood the 
friends of the sailors, weeping bitterly. They expected 
never to meet the voyagers again. 

The hearts of the sailors were heavy, too, as they 
looked back upon Palos, now rosy with the morning 
glow. There was home and safety. Before them 
were the Sea of Darkness, grave perils, and, they feared, 
almost certain death. Their leader was a strange, 

16 



THE FIRST VOYAGE OF COLUMBUS 



17 



silent Italian with deep knowledge and a will like steel. 
No one loved him, and all feared him. 

After a few days the rudder of the Pinta was broken. 
This was no accident, as Columbus weU knew. It was 




" The priests blessed the little company." 

the work of certain men who wished for an excuse to go 
home. 

Columbus stopped at the Canary Islands for the 
needed repairs. The Canary Islands were o\vned by 
Spain, and so he and his party were kindly treated 
there. 

They started once more on their westward course. 
As the last Canary Island disappeared from sight, the 
men sobbed like children. 

But Nature showed them her fairest face. Blue skies 
bent above them ; smooth seas were before them ; fa- 



1 8 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 

voring winds filled their sails. The air was as balmy 
as in April, and the water so warm that the men often 
swam beside the ships. But their minds were not at 
peace. Strange signs troubled them. 

On September i6th, they sailed into a part of the 
ocean that looked like a grassy prairie. As far as they 
could see was an expanse of seaweed, with crabs 
and fish scuttling about in it. They had entered the 
Sargasso Sea, a strange region six times the size of 
France. 

The sailors feared they might be caught forever in 
this tangled mass. But the strong winds carried them 
on. Then they feared sunken reefs. Again and again 
Columbus took soundings, but the longest plummet 
lines failed to find bottom. There was no danger of 
running aground. 

Six days more and the Sargasso Sea was past. Then 
the men began to worr)^ over the favoring breezes that 
had been blowing them so steadily on their way. Day 
after day the wind had come from the east. Never, 
never could they sail against it. Never, never should 
they reach home. 

Once they thought they saw land. They sang 
hymns of praise, and were preparing to leave the ship, 
when lo, it was seen to be only a mirage. 

Then the murmurings against Columbus grew louder. 
Many wished to turn back, but the admiral kept the 
prow still westward. 



THE FIRST VOYAGE OF COLUMBUS 



19 



"He said, 'Sail on ! and on !'" 

Many wished to throw this stubborn Italian over- 
board. One thought stopped them. They might need 
him on the homeward voyage. Afloat on this un- 
known sea, he alone 
was sure of finding 
the way. 

And soon strange 
signs came to sup- 
port his word. A 
live crab floated 
by; then a bush 
with berries; ducks 
were seen; a flock 
of little birds 
lighted on the rig- 
ging and sang most 
sweetly. Other 
flocks were seen 
flying to the south- 
west. 

The men be- 
sought Columbus 
to steer in that di- 
rection, and he did. On the night of October nth, 
Columbus saw a bright light. It looked as if some 
one were carrying a torch along a shore. At two the 
next morning the watch at the masthead of the Pinta 




l1\£5TMACO)I 

" Columbus saw a bright light." 



20 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 

cried, "Land ! " And there it was, — a stretch of sandy 
beach gleaming white in the starhght. 

All watched it and, as the dawn appeared, they pre- 
pared to land. It was a pleasant isle they saw before 
them. Beyond the beach grew tall trees, beneath 
which could be seen many copper-colored men, women, 
and children eagerly watching them. 

Columbus, in his rich admiral's dress, stepped ashore. 
In his hand was the royal banner of Queen Isabella. 
He knelt and kissed the ground ; then he arose and 
took possession of the land for Spain. 

The feelings of his little band had changed completely. 
The men knelt and kissed the admiral's hand. His 
officers embraced him. 

The savages timidly drew near. They believed 
these white men to be gods who had come to them from 
heaven. The ships were to them a new sort of sea 
monster. At first they had fled in fear. Then, seeing 
the strangers did not seem ready to harm them, they 
came forward. 

Trading soon began. The Spaniards offered glass 
beads and small bells in return for balls of cotton and 
gold ornaments. 

This was October 12th, the day we celebrate as 
Columbus day. But Columbus had no idea that he 
had found a new world. He was certain that the island 
he had discovered was off the coast of Asia. Nothing 
he ever saw or heard caused him to change his belief. 



THE FIRST VOYAGE OF COLUMBUS 



21 



The natives called the island Guanaha'ni. Columbus 
named it San Salvador. No one knows to-day which 
of the Bahama Islands it is. 

Columbus spent ten days among these islands. 




Then Columbus took possession of the land for Spain." 



Then he sailed south. He touched the coast of the 
island of Cuba. 

The scenery was beautiful. Here, too, he found 
pearl oysters. This was encouraging. But as yet the 
party had met no eastern kings. They had found no 



22 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 

gold or spices, and Columbus was puzzled and dis- 
appointed. Why did the rich countries of Asia still 
elude him? 

In November his Palos friend, Martin Pinzon, deserted 
with the Pinta. Some say he wished to reach Spain 
first with his wonderful story. Other accounts say 
that he wished to seek a certain island which they had 
just learned contained gold. 

Early in December Columbus discovered the is- 
land of Haiti. It grew very difficult to fit the dis- 
coveries into the old maps with which he had started. 
But Columbus firmly believed that Cuba was x\sia, and 
that Haiti was the island of Japan, off its coast. Poor 
Columbus, groping like a blind man in the dark ! Fast 
bound by his beliefs, he saw and yet did not see. 

On Christmas morning a terrible disaster occurred. 
The flagship, the Santa Maria, was wrecked. Here 
were all these men thousands of miles from home and 
only the tiny Nina to bridge that distance. 

No one in Spain knew of the great discovery. If 
Columbus reached home, aU would yet be well. If not, 
Spain would forever think of him as a foolhardy ad- 
venturer and a failure. That must never be. 

With the timbers of the Santa Maria a fort was 
built on the shore of Haiti. It was armed with guns 
from the vessel. 

Here Columbus left forty men with provisions for a 
year. They had plenty of arms, tools, and seeds, and 



THE FIRST VOYAGE OF COLUMBUS 23 

were contented to remain in this mild climate. They 
were told to gather all the gold they could and to bury 
it for safe-keeping. 

Then Columbus set sail for home in the Nina. Two 
days later he came upon the Pinta, and side by side 
the frail barks breasted the Atlantic billows. 

It was a hard passage. The vessels were leaking, 
and provisions were low. Once, however, they caught 
a shark, which was a welcome addition to their scanty 
fare. 

Finally a fearful storm burst upon them. It lasted 
for four days. During the first night the Pinta dis- 
appeared. Every one believed she had sunk, and all 
expected the same fate for themselves. 

Then the admiral wrote the story of the great dis- 
covery upon two pieces of parchment. These he 
wrapped in cloth. Then he incased them in wax. 
Each waxed tablet he placed in a cask. One cask he 
threw overboard. The other stood on deck ready 
to share the fate of the Niiia. But the little craft 
weathered the storm. On March 15, 1493, Columbus 
anchored at Palos in Spain. There was great excite- 
ment in the town, which was doubled by the arrival of 
the Pinta. 

Pinzon had thought himself the only leader left 
alive. Accordingly he had made great claims for 
himself in a letter to Ferdinand and Isabella. For- 
tunately, before they had replied, a letter of Columbus 



24 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 



was received. The result was that Pinzon was re- 
buked and forbidden to appear at court. He died in 
the next few days ; some said, of a broken heart. 




"Ferdinand and Isabella heard his marvelous story." 

And now came the happiest hours of Columbus's 

life. He was to be received by Ferdinand and Isabella. 

There was a brilhant procession. First came six In- 



THE FIRST VOYAGE OF COLUMBUS 25 

dians with strange bright decorations. Next walked 
attendants carrying the live parrots, the small ani- 
mals, the stuffed birds, and medicinal herbs which were 
to be offered to the sovereigns. Then came Columbus. 

Ferdinand and Isabella heard his marvelous story, 
questioned him, and examined the products of the far- 
away lands. Finally all sang a hymn of praise to God. 

The next six months were the happiest in the life of 
Columbus. Many who had formerly despised him 
now hastened to do him honor. 

Every one believed that he had found a new route to 
Asia. Even as it was, they said of the deed in London 
that it was "more divine than human." Words would 
have failed them, had the whole truth been known, — 
that a new world had been revealed on that October 
morning in 1492. 



THE LATER VOYAGES OF COLUMBUS 

Columbus made three other voyages to the strange 
western world. They were all interesting, although 
none was so wonderful as the first. 

When Columbus started on his second voyage every 
one was eager to go. What a contrast to the year 
before ! Then there had been but three small vessels ; 
now there were seventeen. Then eighty-eight men 
had been forced or bribed to go ; now more than fifteen 
hundred were ready and eager. Then only poor men 
were on board ; now there were young men from noble 
families of Spain. 

How the world had changed for Columbus ! Alas, 
it would change as readily again ! 

One of the first things the admiral intended to do was 
to visit the colony that he had left in Haiti. Those 
men would be overjoyed at the great numbers coming 
to swell their little settlement. They would also be 
glad of the goats, sheep, pigs, and fowl that made up 
the cargo. 

But when the little fleet reached Haiti, not a man of 
all the colony was found alive. The fort had been 
burned, and the chests of supplies were broken and 
empty. European tools and clothing were found in 
the huts of the natives. 

26 



THE LATER VOYAGES OF COLUMBUS 27 

Remembering his commands to the men to bury any 
gold they might find, Columbus ordered the new arri- 
vals to dig around the fort. What they found was 
not gold, but the bodies of eleven men. This was a 
sad arrival. 

After establishing a new colony, Columbus started 
out on an exploring expedition. He discovered Ja- 
maica. He also followed the coast of Cuba far to the 
west and south, but not quite to the end of the island. 
He felt certain that Cuba was Asia. 

On the return trip to Haiti, Columbus was stricken 
with a strange fever. For days he was unconscious. 
When he opened his eyes, his beloved brother Bar- 
tholomew was standing at his bedside. They had not 
met in six years. 

Bartholomew was strong, brave, and practical, and 
Columbus at once made him governor of Haiti. There 
had been much trouble while the admiral was away. 
Many had been sick ; some had died ; some had been 
killed in skirmishes with the Indians. They had 
found less gold in Haiti than they had hoped. Always 
the spirit of complaint had been growing. 

Finally two of the discontented leaders seized ships 
and hastened back to Spain. There they made all the 
mischief they could with their lying tales. They said 
that the admiral's great discoveries amounted to very 
little, and that the Columbus brothers were tyrants. 

The result was that Ferdinand and Isabella sent over 



28 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 

an agent to look into the troubles in the colony. The 
proud admiral was wonderfully patient with this man. 
The agent collected a great store of complaints. There 
were so many that Columbus decided that he must go 
to Spain to make his explanations. 

He was very kindly received by his king and queen. 
The false tales shrank out of sight before his dignified 
presence and fine, earnest face. But Columbus knew 
that a little of his former influence was gone. Thus 
ended the second voyage. 

Never again did Columbus command a large fleet 
like the one he had sailed with on the second voyage. 

He waited nearly two years before Ferdinand and 
Isabella gave him six ships. Finally, in May, 1498, 
he set sail on his third voyage, taking between two and 
three hundred men. 

Columbus had a new plan for this voyage. At the 
Canary Islands he divided his fleet. He sent three 
ships straight to Haiti. With the other three ships he 
sailed far south and then west. 

He had two reasons for this southerly course. First, 
the natives had always pointed south when asked 
where gold could be found. Second, he thought he 
might find his way into the Indian Ocean, 

It was a fearfully hot voyage. At one time, says 
Irving, "the wind suddenly fell. A dead, sultry calm 
commenced which lasted for eight days. The air was 
like a furnace ; the tar melted, the seams of the ship 



THE LATER VOYAGES OF COLUMBUS 29 

yawned. . . . The mariners lost all strength and spirits 
and sank under the oppressive heat." 

In time they reached land. They sailed along a 
coast, finding new islands. 

One day the ships were nearly swamped. There 
came pouring into the ocean a mighty flood on which 
their small vessels were tossed about like chips. The 
water which very nearly capsized them proved to be 
fresh. Columbus knew it must be a great river. 

Only a mighty continent could have so great a river, 
he reasoned. For once he was exactly right ; but he 
believed this new land to be either a continent south of 
Asia or a part of Asia itself. 

Only two weeks were spent cruising in South American 
waters. The great admiral's strength gave way. His 
eyes were worn out by making observations. Gout and 
fever laid him low. 

The three ships headed for Haiti. There Bartholo- 
mew had a sad story to tell. The years that Columbus 
had passed in Spain had been miserable ones in the 
colony. There had been wars with the Indians, sick- 
ness, and above all endless strife among the Spaniards 
themselves. 

Many of these discontented men had returned to 
Spain. There they were doing all they could to harm 
Columbus in the thoughts of the king and queen. They 
brought bills to Ferdinand for money that they said 
Columbus owed them. Fifty such scamps would gather 



30 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 

in the courtyard of the palace. As the king passed 
by, they would seize his robe and shout, "Pay us! 
Pay us!" 

The two little sons of Columbus, Diego and Ferdi- 
nand, were pages at court. Whenever they passed 
these men would hoot, "There go the sons of the ad- 
miral of Mosquito-land ! " 

The result of all this trouble was that a Spaniard 
named De Bobadil'la was sent to look into affairs in 
Haiti. He was given power even to remove Columbus 
as governor and to take his place. 

De Bobadilla acted very badly. He opened the 
jails and let free all the prisoners. He seized the house 
of the admiral and all his private papers. He then 
loaded Columbus with chains and sent him and his 
brother to Spain. 

The captain of the vessel was distressed at the sight 
of the great discoverer in chains. He wished to strike 
them off, but Columbus proudly refused. They should 
never be removed, he said, except by the order of the 
king and queen. He said he should keep them forever 
to show how his labors had been rewarded. 

When the stately, white-headed figure of Columbus 
passed through the streets of Cadiz in chains, the people 
were indignant. All hearts were softened towards 
him. Isabella sent orders that the brothers should be 
at once set free. 

The admiral went to Granada to see the queen. 



THE LATER VOYAGES OF COLUMBUS 



31 



Isabella met him with her eyes full of tears. Then, and 
then only, did the proud man break down. In a pas- 




" The great discoverer in chains." 



sion of sobs and tears, he threw himself at her feet. 
What a contrast to that return seven years before ! 

The fourth and last voyage of Columbus was made 
by a sick, disappointed old man. 



32 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 



The king and queen had failed to keep their many 
promises to restore to him his late honors. They sent 
another governor to Haiti, but they gave Columbus 
four small vessels and one hundred and fifty men for 
a new venture. His brother Bartholomew and his 
fourteen-year-old son Ferdinand were with the admiral. 

The purpose of the fourth voyage was to find a 
westward passage to the Indian Ocean, of which 
Columbus had been dreaming for years. Once in the 
Indian Ocean it would be easy to reach India. Then 
his belief would be proved true. Then all these puz- 
zling coasts would slip into their right places. The 
task of his life would be complete. 

He had been forbidden to touch at Haiti. But one 
of his small vessels was out of repair and it became neces- 
sary to hire another. A great storm was rolling up 
and he had to put into some sheltered bay. 

In the harbor of Santo Domingo in Haiti a fleet of 
twenty-six or twenty-eight ships was gathered. De 
BobadiUa and other enemies of Columbus were starting 
for Spain with heaps of gold. One of the ships con- 
tained four thousand pieces of gold for Columbus. 

The old admiral asked if he might anchor for a short 
time. He also sent friendly counsel to the new gov- 
ernor. He notified him of the coming storm and ad- 
vised him to delay the sailing of the gold fleet. 

The governor acted rudely. He ordered Columbus 
away and permitted the l^eet to sail as he had planned. 



THE LATER VOYAGES OF COLUMBUS 33 

The small vessels of Columbus found safety in a 
deep bay, and rode out the storm. Twenty of the gold 
ships were sunk by the gale; a few returned to San 
Domingo as mere wrecks; while one ship, and only 
one, reached Spain in safety. This was the one bear- 
ing the gold for Columbus. 

The search for the westward passage led to the dis- 
covery of the southern part of North America. Co- 
lumbus followed the coasts of Central America for 
many miles. He was often so ill that he could not 
stand. But he had a little cabin built on deck, and 
there he would lie and direct the course of the ship. 

The party traded with the natives. The Indians 
offered the Spaniards copper knives, hatchets, pottery, 
and cotton garments of exquisite dyes. And at last they 
reached a spot where gold was abundant. How their 
eyes shone when a solid plate of gold worth twenty dol- 
lars was exchanged for trinkets worth only a few cents ! 

On the return voyage a severe storm came on. Their 
vessels were nothing but wrecks, and they were glad 
to run them up on the beach of Jamaica. 

Then came a time of great suffering. There were 
no Spanish settlements on this island. The only hope 
was to get word of their misfortunes to Haiti. 

Two brave men in an open canoe undertook the 
perilous journey. They succeeded, but the cruel 
Spanish governor let a full year pass before he sent 
two vessels to the shipwrecked party in Jamaica. 



34 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS 



That was a year of suffering for Columbus. But he 
had his brave brother by his side. Bartholomew 
fought Indians, quelled mutinies, and again and 
again plucked the little band out of danger. 

Once the great admiral's knowledge 
was turned to account in a curious 
way. The Indians had refused 
the Spaniards food. Columbus 
told them that the Great 
Father was angry with them 
for not giving bread to his 
white children. He would 
show his anger by hiding the 
light of the sun from them. 
Sure enough, the follow- 
ing day an 
eclipse oc- 
curred. Wild 
with terror, 
the na- 
tives 




The Indians bring food to Columbus. 

heaped before the strangers all they could possibly 
desire. 



THE LATER VOYAGES OF COLUMBUS 35 

After the two vessels bore the small company to 
Haiti, Columbus set out for Spain. Soon after his 
arrival Queen Isabella breathed her last. 

Columbus himself died about two years afterwards. 
It would have rejoiced his heart could he have known 
that the honors and offices he had lost were restored 
to his son Diego. Diego Hved in great state as gov- 
ernor of Cuba. After his death, father and son lay 
side by side in the cathedral at Havana for many 
years. Since Cuba became free, their bones have been 
removed to Spain, the country which Columbus so 
honored by his labors, and which served him so thank- 
lessly. 

A great man, in a great time, he builded better than 
he knew. 



THE QUEST FOR A FOUNTAIN 

When Columbus sailed on his second voyage there 
went with him many Spanish noblemen. Among 
these there was a strong young man of thirty-three, 
named Juan Ponce de Leon (hwahn pon^thay da la-on'). 

Juan had been a page at the Spanish court. Later 
he became a soldier in the wars with the Moors. Dur- 
ing the great siege of Granada, he did valiant service. 

Now that the war was over, a voyage westward 
offered the best chance for adventure. Ponce de Leon 
loved a stirring life. He would see what these unknown 
lands had to offer. He would seek pearls and gold and 
the power that great wealth brings. 

He was very successful in his search. His training 
in the Moorish wars stood him in good stead. He often 
fought the Indians and nearly always won. He rose 
to be governor of eastern Haiti. 

Not far from Haiti there is another island called 
Porto Rico. Ponce de Leon learned that much gold 
was found there. In a short time he became governor 
of Porto Rico. He held this post for only a few years, 
but in that time he became very rich. 

He was a young man no longer. His age was now 
fifty years. This is not old, but it is a time when old 

36 



THE QUEST FOR A FOUNTAIN 37 

age seems not far away. Ponce de Leon was still 
strong. Daily, however, he saw that his locks were 
growing more silvery. Daily the wrinkles on his face 
seemed deeper. 

De Leon could not bear this change. Must he give 
up his active life to sit idly at home ? And each day 
Time said, "You must." 

Just then a strange story came to his ears. Some- 
where to the northward lay an island on which was a 
magic fountain. Whoever drank of its sweet waters 
became young once more. 

A great hope came to De Leon, He would find and 
drink from that fountain. The Indians declared the 
story was true. All things seemed possible in this un- 
known land. 

The fountain was said to be on the island of Bimini. 
Ponce de Leon urged powerful friends in Spain to ask 
King Ferdinand to grant him certain rights. The 
king gave him permission to discover and settle Bimini. 
This was in 151 2. 

In March, 15 13, Ponce de Leon sailed from Porto 
Rico on his strange quest. His three vessels steered 
northward and reached the Bahama Islands. There 
were many Bahama Islands. Could Bimini be among 
them? 

Some middle-aged men and some old men had sailed 
with Ponce de Leon. They were no less eager to find 
the fountain of youth than De Leon himself. 




'Day after day they voyaged over the calm seas from island to island." 



38 



THE QUEST FOR A FOUNTAIN 39 

Day after day they voyaged over the calm seas 
from island to island. At each island they drank of 
the springs and bathed in the streams. But no one 
was a jot the younger. Plainly Bimini was not here. 

Then they sailed northwestward. Soon above the 
blue waters a fair shore arose. Drawing nearer, they 
beheld noble woods and fields covered with beautiful 
flowers. The magnolia was in blossom. Its exquisite 
color and fragrance enchanted the seafarers. Surely 
here must be Bimini. 

It was Easter Sunday. Pascua Florida is the Spanish 
name for Easter Sunday. So the place was called 
Florida. No one knew whether it was island or 
continent. 

Southward they sailed along the shores of this lovely 
land. Then they rounded the cape and ran up the 
westward coast. There were plenty of adventures by 
the way. Occasionally they entered swift and con- 
trary currents. Sometimes Indians tried to steal their 
anchors or cut their cables. 

Always they sought the fountain of youth, but in 
vain. But Ponce de Leon still hoped. 
' He returned to Porto Rico and then sailed for Spain. 
There he sought the king. He asked that he might 
explore and settle Bimini and Florida. The king con- 
sented to his wishes. First, however, he commanded 
Ponce de Leon to conquer the Caribs. These were 
fierce Indians in the islands south of Porto Rico. 



40 



PONCE DE LEON 



This war took much longer than had been expected. 
Years passed by before Ponce de Leon could carry out 
his plans. He was an old man now ; he must hasten, 
if the magic waters were to be of any use. 

Eight years had passed since that beautiful Easter 
morning when Florida was first seen by white men. 
Since then, other Spaniards had visited its shores. 
They had been cruel to the Indians, so that the red 
men hated all strangers alike. This was unfortunate 
for Ponce de Leon. 

He made great preparations for his settlement, 
though now he was far from being a rich man. 
Clergymen were to set out with the colonists. The 
ships were laden with horses, cattle, sheep, and swine. 

They reached Florida and began to build houses. 
Ponce de Leon thought, "I will first see these people 
safely sheltered. Then I will surely seek until I find 
the water of youth. I dare not delay." 

Suddenly came a fierce flight of arrows, and the In- 
dians were upon them. Ponce de Leon was wounded 
with a poisoned arrow. This was a deathblow to the 
settlement, which was finally given up. 

"Take me back to Cuba to die," said De Leon. 
"Near though it must be, I shall never find the fountain 
of youth." 

Life had given much to De Leon. But it had denied 
him his dearest wish. The blessing of gentle death 
came to the poor old man in Cuba. 



THE STORY OF CORTES 

Early in the sixteenth century there came to Haiti 
a very remarkable Spaniard named Hernando Cor'tes. 
No one at this time suspected that he was unusually 
brave or clever. All that men saw was a high-spirited 
youth with soldierly ambition and very little money 
in his purse. 

From the first, fortune smiled on him. An expedition 
went out from Haiti to conquer Cuba. Its leader was 
Velasquez (va-lahs'kath), and Cortes joined it as the 
second in command. Later Velasquez became gov- 
ernor of Cuba. He appointed Cortes judge in one 
of the chief towns of Cuba. 

The western part of Cuba is not far from the shores 
of Yucatan, on the mainland of North America. Some 
Spaniards had touched at these coasts. They had 
brought back word that here, at last, were the rich 
cities for which Columbus had sought so long. 

Velasquez was eager to send an expedition to this 
region, and he gave the command to Cortes. 

Cortes meant this to be the great venture of his life. 
He bought ships and fitted them out carefully. He spent 
all his own money and all he could borrow from his 
friends. This was his one chance for fame and fortune. 

41 



42 



HERNANDO CORTES 



On February i8, 15 19, Cortes sailed for the main- 
land. He had now twelve vessels, six hundred men, 
and ten cannon. Quite as important as the cannon 
were sixteen horses that were on board. 

The Indians had been, at first, friendly to the white 
men. You remember how gently they had treated 

Columbus in the 
Bahama Islands. 
But that was over 
twenty-five years 
ago. The Spaniards 
had been harsh and 
cruel and now the 
Indians were ready 
to fight them on 
sight. 

At one village 
the Spaniards 
asked for food. 
The Indians re- 
fused. Then Cor- 
tes decided to teach 
them a lesson. He landed a large force, planted his 
cannon, ranged his horses, and attacked. 

The Indians had never seen cannon. Neither had 
they seen horses. They fled in terror before the pranc- 
ing monsters and the belching guns. Surely, they 
thought, the gods fought on the side of the strangers. 




Cortes in Mexico. 



THE STORY OF CORTES 43 

As Cortes went farther along the Mexican coast he 
gathered facts of value. The strongest people in the 
land were the Aztecs. They had a strong, rich city — 
the city of Mexico — far inland on a wonderful lake. 

They had conquered many weaker tribes in war, and 
these tribes now paid them tribute. All these con- 
quered tribes, of course, hated the Aztecs. 

Now see the wily deed of Cortes. Many of the 
Aztec taxgatherers were in the provinces on the coast. 
Cortes advised the conquered chiefs to imprison the 
taxgatherers. They did so with great glee. Then Cor- 
tes quietly freed them and sent them to their king with 
soft messages. Thus he curried favor with both parties. 

The Aztec king, Montezu'ma, sent back presents of 
rich fabrics and gold. At the same time he counseled 
the strangers not to come to his kingdom. The journey, 
he said, was long and difficult. 

If Montezuma had wished to keep the Spaniards at 
a distance, he- should not have sent gold. Its yellow 
gleam would beckon soldiers of Spain halfway around 
the world. 

But in the heart of Montezuma and aU the Aztecs 
there was a strange fear. They believed that these fair- 
f^ced, long-bearded men were sure to reach their city. 

This was the reason for their belief. A long while 
ago two great gods had been worshiped by the Aztecs. 
One was the fair god, the god of goodness ; the other 
was the god of evil. These two gods had fought, 



44 



HERNANDO CORTES 



they believed, and the evil god had triumphed. The 
god of goodness had been driven far away. Still 
all the Aztecs beheved that this was only for a time. 
Some day the good god would sail from the east with 
white-faced companions. He would come to Mexico 
and overthrow the god of evil. Nothing could with- 
stand him. 

Montezuma and his people were not anxious for this 
to happen. They were satisfied to keep on worshiping 
the god of evil and the terrible war god. 

Both these gods had temples in the city of Mexico. 
To the war god were sacrificed prisoners taken in war. 
The form of sacrifice was so bloody that I will not tell 
you about it. Some day you may read it all for your- 
selves in Prescott's Conquest of Mexico. 

When the white and bearded Spaniards were first 
seen, every one thought of the old belief. The good 
god was returning. Who could stand against him? 
Thus the very religion of the Aztecs fought for Cortes. 

Now came a critical moment. Some of the party 
asked to be led back to Cuba. This must not be, 
thought Cortes. His force was too small as it was. 

Then Cortes did a bold thing. He destroyed his 
ships. Now there was no way of retreat to Cuba». 
All must conquer or die together. 

Thus the march to Mexico began. A few days 
brought them out of the unhealthy lowlands to a lofty 
plain. 



THE STORY OF CORTES 



45 



There were occasional skirmishes with the Indians, 
but the first pitched battle came at Tlascala. The 
Tlascalans were a free people 
whom the Aztecs had tried in 
vain to conquer. 

There were about five thou- 
sand Tlascalans. They carried 
shields of leather, bows and 
arrows, and spears pointed with 
stone or copper. 

The Spaniards were only four 
hundred and fifty in number, 
but each man was well pro- 
tected by his steel armor. They 
also had six or seven light guns 
and fifteen horses. 

Terrible as were the guns, 
the horses alarmed the Indians 
more. At every charge the na- 
tives shrieked and fled before 
them. Indeed, it has been said 
that the horse overthrew the 
kingdom of the Aztecs. 

Many Tlascalans were slain, and a few Spaniards. 
Cortes had the bodies of his men buried by night. 
Thus the Indians continued to believe that the Span- 
iards were gods and could not die. 

The Tlascalans became the firm allies of Cortes. 




A Tlascalan warrior. 



46 HERNANDO CORTES 

Hundreds of them fell in behind his troops on the 
march to Mexico. They hated the Aztecs and wished 
to see their proud city humbled. They did not love 
the Spaniards, but it seemed best to be on their side. 

Montezuma did his best to prevent Cortes from reach- 
ing the city of Mexico. But all his plots failed. On 
the seventh of November, 15 19, the Spaniards came in 
sight of the city of the lake. The next day Montezuma 
met them and invited them in. 

The city of the Aztecs stood in the midst of a beau- 
tiful salt lake. It was reached from the land by three 
causeways or roads crossing the lake. These roads 
were about twenty or thirty feet wide. Here and 
there the roads were broken by bridges. In time of 
war these bridges could be removed. 

If an enemy were on the causeway, he could be at- 
tacked from both sides by Aztecs in their canoes. This 
would be a dangerous spot in advance or retreat. 

Mexico was like Venice in having streets of water. 
The better houses were huge affairs of red stone. There 
were also fearful pyramids that were temples to the 
gods. Here war captives met a wretched death, com- 
pared to which a death on the battlefield was pleasant. 

Many a sturdy Spaniard shuddered as he passed 
the temple walls. A slight turn of events and he might 
be climbing the temple stairs. There he would first 
be sacrificed to the evil god, and then he would be eaten 
by the Aztecs. For these people were cannibals. 



THE STORY OF CORTES 47 

At last the Spaniards had reached their goal. They 
were lodged in one of Montezuma's palaces. But thou- 
sands of fierce Indians hemmed them in on all sides. 
Were they not like flies in a spider web ? Could the 
wit of Cortes save them ? 

A few days went by. Cortes was studying the people 
and their city. Then he did a daring thing. He took 
Montezuma prisoner. 

In course of time the king's spirit was broken. He 
was ready to say or do whatever Cortes directed. 

The Aztec chiefs were eager to kiU the Spaniards. 
But their hands were tied. They could not make war 
without their king. That was their law. They might 
have called a council and chosen a new king. But the 
one to be chosen was Montezuma's brother, and the 
Spaniards had made him a prisoner too. 

Thus the Aztecs waited, — • they knew not for what. 
And the men of Cortes despised them as cowards. 
Daily the Spaniards grew more overbearing. 

But suddenly there came bad news. Velasquez, 
governor of Cuba, had become the enemy of Cortes 
and had sent a fleet against him. He was to lose his 
command, if not his head. 

Cortes never waited for danger to overtake him. 
He always went to meet it. 

Part of his force he left in the Aztec capital. Al- 
vara'do was in command. With the rest of his men, 
nearly three hundred in number, he marched down 



48 HERNANDO CORTES 

to the coast. There, at night, he fell upon the new 
expedition. He defeated and captured the leader. 

Then he told these new arrivals of the great, rich 
city on the lake. Greed and love of adventure filled 
their hearts. They all enlisted under Cortes, and 
there was no further thought of sending him back to 
Cuba in chains. At the head of this large and eager 
company he set out toward Mexico. 

How fared it with Alvarado in the meantime ? He 
had acted very foolishly. The Aztecs had a great 
spring festival. On this day of gladness the Spaniards 
had fallen upon them and had killed six hundred. But 
the Aztecs were no cowards. They might not attack 
without their king, but they were eager to resist. 

They fought so well that the Spaniards were glad to 
take shelter in their palace. There they were besieged. 
Fortunately they had plenty of corn. Within the 
palace courtyard there was a spring of fresh water. 
Otherwise it might have gone hard with them. 

When Cortes returned, he saw at once that some- 
thing was wrong. The streets were deserted ; the 
markets were closed. The few Indians whom he saw 
scowled fiercely. 

A few words from Alvarado told him all. Cortes 
censured him for his lack of judgment. Then he, 
too, made a fatal mistake. The Spaniards needed food. 
For this the markets must open. Cortes sent Monte- 
zuma's brother to carry this order to the Aztecs. 



THE STORY OF CORTES 



49 




Thus the deadlock was broken by his own act. The 
Aztecs at once met m council. 
They deposed Montezuma. ^)^ 
They elected his brother king 
in his stead. Then, with their new 
leader, they proceeded to attack. 

The housetops and the temples 
were black with Indian braves 
sending flights of arrows against .^ 
the fortress palace of the Span- -^ ■ 
iards. The Spaniards resisted 
stoutly. 

Finally Cortes 
thought of a way to 
stop the attack. 
He ordered 
Montezuma 



n*^' 




'■ Montezuma appeared on the roof." 



to speak to his people from the walls. He was to forbid 
them to fight further. 

Montezuma appeared on the roof and attempted to 

COE F. — 4 



50 HERNANDO CORTES 

speak. But he was no longer the king. No respect 
nor attention was paid to him. His words only called 
out stones and arrows aimed in his direction. One 
stone wounded him so severely that he died soon 
afterwards. 

Cortes dared remain no longer in the city. Stealthily 
he withdrew by night. 

The Spaniards had just passed the first break in the 
causeway, when the Aztecs were upon them. You re- 
member noticing what dangerous paths those cause- 
ways would be in a case of a retreat. The Spaniards 
were now to realize this bitterly. 

Canoes brought the Aztecs close to them on each 
side. The Spaniards had to run the gantlet of a foe 
whose fury was the fiercer for having been so long re- 
strained. Darkness of night, confusion in the narrow 
path, shrieks of the dying, fears of being taken alive, 
all made this night more fearful. It has always been 
called by a Spanish phrase which means "the sad 
night." 

In the welcome dawn Cortes saw that but a frag- 
ment of his forces was left to him. As he realized 
his loss, he sank on a stone, bowed his proud head in 
his hands, and wept bitterly. 

Seven hundred and fifty Spaniards, four thousand 
Tlascalans, sixty horses, and all his cannon, were gone. 
He had now but five hundred Spaniards and twenty 
horses. 



THE STORY OF CORTES 51 

Do you think he was beaten ? Never. More firmly 
than ever he determined to master Mexico. 

Back to the coast he went. There he sent ships to 
Haiti for reenforcements. His Tlascalan allies still 
remained true. He spent six months in gaining other 
tribes of Indians to his side. 

By Christmas of 1520 Cortes was at the head of a 
strong force. He marched towards the Aztec capital, 
and in April, 152 1, the siege began. 

In August the city fell, and Cortes entered Mexico 
in triumph. His iron will had conquered. 

Much of the city was in ruins. These parts were 
rebuilt. The old heathen temples were swept away. 
Christian churches were planted in their place. 

There is very little more to our story. The restless 
spirit of Cortes led him oh many more wilderness 
marches. He found himself often in many perils, but 
always his dauntless spirit saw him through. 

He returned to Spain in 1540, and seven years later 
died at Seville. 



A WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS 

You remember that Columbus had been disappointed 
because he found no rich cities in the West. The ab- 
sence of cities had puzzled all the early explorers. 

But after Cortes had found Mexico, such doubts 
were laid to rest. Plainly there was gold in hea;ps for 
those who had the courage to seize it. 

This belief was further strengthened by the finding 
of another rich Indian kingdom thirteen years later. 
This kingdom was in Peru, many hundreds of miles 
south of Mexico. The Spaniard who led the expedi- 
tion into Peru was Pizar'ro. He was a man of greater 
brutality than Cortes. 

Pizarro had, as second in command, Ferdinand de 
Soto. De Soto was a man about thirty-five years of 
age. He was of good family, but poor. De Soto had 
a towering ambition. He longed to be rich and he 
longed to be famous. 

In Peru he saw strange dealings with the Indians. 
He learned lessons here that he never forgot, as we 
shall see. 

Following the plan of Cortes, Pizarro had seized the 
Indian king. This king was imprisoned in a room 
twenty-two feet long and seventeen feet wide. One day 

52 



A WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS 



53 



he made a mark upon the wall as high as he could reach. 
Then he offered to ransom himself by filling the room 
up to the mark with gold. Pizarro accepted his terms. 




" The Indian king made a mark upon the wall." 

The gold came in slowly. Much of it was in the 
form of vases for the temples. After some months the 
amount required was completed. 

All this gold and a great quantity of silver were 
divided among Pizarro's band. Then, — ■ what do you 



54 FERDINAND DE SOTO 

suppose they did? They strangled the Indian king 
with a bowstring. 

This was the sort of treatment that De Soto saw con- 
stantly given to the Indians. No one seemed to think 
they had any rights. 

De Soto returned to Spain with plenty of money, and 
King Charles smiled kindly upon him. 

A Spanish explorer now appeared with news of Flor- 
ida. This country, he said, was the richest in the world. 
Mexico and Peru were not to be compared to it. 

No one knew better than De Soto the great wealth 
of Peru. So he asked Charles for permission to con- 
quer Florida, and Charles granted his request. 

The news of this expedition flew far and wide. Hun- 
dreds of men were anxious to follow the lead of the dis- 
tinguished De Soto. He selected six hundred men in 
early life. It was said that the flower of Spain and 
Portugal sailed with him. 

Cannon roared and trumpets sounded as the dons in 
their burnished armor sailed away from Spain. All 
was gay as a wedding feast. 

In May, 1539, De Soto himself, with nine vessels, 
five hundred and seventy men, two hundred and 
twenty-three horses, and a pack of bloodhounds, sailed 
into Tampa Bay, Florida. 

Let us consider what the party had in their favor. 
In the first place their band was a large one. They 
outnumxbered the parties of Cortes and of Pizarro. 




' Cannon roared and trumpets sounded." 



SS 



56 FERDINAND DE SOTO 

Then they were young, strong, and finely trained. 
They were superbly equipped in arms. Their pro- 
visions also were abundant. 

Twelve priests went with the expedition. They 
carried their vestments and sacred vessels. All the 
church services were to be held as carefully as in a 
town. This would help to steady the men and to 
convert the Indians. 

Another factor for success was the dauntless will of 
De Soto. He was determined to rival Cortes and Pi- 
zarro in glory and wealth. He believed that Florida 
surpassed both Mexico and Peru in stores of gold and 
silver. He would be the hero to find that hidden wealth. 

De Soto had been trained under the cruel leader 
Pizarro. As a leader himself, he was no less cruel. 

His plan was to march into an Indian village and 
demand food for his men and horses. Then he asked 
for men and women as servants. The men were to 
act as guides and to carry the camp luggage. The 
women were to pound the corn and cook the food. 
These Indian servants the Spaniards would chain in 
gangs with iron rings about their wrists or necks. Even 
when a chief had granted all the harsh demands of the 
Spaniards, they would make him also a prisoner. Not 
until they had reached another Indian village would 
they set him free. 

On the march the captives had a sorry time. If the 
guides were suspected of leading the Spaniards wrong, 



A WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS 57 

they were thrown to the bloodhounds. If any escaped, 
these fierce hounds ran them down and killed them in 
the swamps. Very few of these Indian slaves ever 
found their homes again. 

In general, the line of march was northward to 
the Allegheny Mountains and then westward. But 
the party were continually changing their direction. 
Whenever an Indian story of a rich country came to 
their ears, they went to seek it. Oftentimes Indians 
told such lies to the Spaniards to hasten their departure 
from their own village. 

It would be wearisome to follow the march from tribe 
to tribe. We may, however, learn of a few events in 
their three years' journeyings. 

At the close of the first year, they had good news. 
At some distance, they were told, lived an Indian queen. 
Her wealth was great. Quantities of gold were refined 
and smelted in her kingdom each year. 

At once De Soto headed his band towards her do- 
main, but the news of their coming went faster than 
they. 

The poor queen trembled, but she acted bravely. 
She came out to meet the enemy with the offer of friend- 
ship. Her escorts brought shawls and skins as pres- 
ents for the Spaniards. She herself stepped forward 
and threw over De Soto's neck a beautiful double 
chain of pearls. 

That gallant gentleman questioned her closely. 



FERDINAND DE SOTO 




De Soto and the Indian queen. 

Soon he had learned all he wished. Straightway he 
ordered her to be chained about the ankle and held as 
a prisoner. Then he began to rob her people. He 
found no gold or silver, and nothing of much value 
except some pearls. 

Fortunately for the queen, she escaped after a while. 
She carried with her a large box of pearls that De 
Soto had secured for himself. He was very angry, but 
that did not help matters. The pearls were gone. 



A WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS 59 

A few months later the Spaniards reached the In- 
dian village of Mauvila. This stood near where the 
city of Mobile is to-day. There were many Indians 
gathered here. They well knew the cruelty of the 
white men who came to their home. 

The chief received them, sitting under an umbrella 
of buckskin which was stained red and white. De 
Soto asked for provisions and porters. The chief 
granted his requests. He also gave De Soto gifts of 
fur robes. 

Mauvila was surrounded by a fence or palisade. De 
Soto with a few companions was invited to enter the 
town. The chief had seemed so friendly that they 
came with no thought of fear. 

Suddenly the chief shouted an insult and rushed 
into a house. Another thief spoke roughly to a Span- 
iard. A second Spaniard struck this chief with his 
sword. 

Showers of arrows fell upon the strangers from all 
sides. Many were slain. Only De Soto and a few 
others escaped. 

When they had joined their friends outside the town, 
De Soto swore vengeance. The Spaniards surrounded 
the town. Then, after a nine hours' fight, they cap- 
tured and burned it. 

This was one of the bloodiest battles ever fought 
between the white men and the red. De Soto's loss 
was twenty men killed and one hundred wounded. 



6o FERDINAND DE SOTO 

The Indian loss was far greater. About 2500, it was 
said, were killed or burned. 

Much of the Spaniards' baggage had been carried 
into the town, and was lost in this fire. 

The second winter was at hand. In the midst of a 
driving snowstorm the Spaniards reached their winter 
quarters, a village in what is now the State of Missis- 
sippi. The Indians seemed friendly and gave up their 
houses to the weary band. 

When the party set forth on its third year's wan- 
derings, De Soto's hopes were still high. His proud 
will was as firm as ever. Again and again his men had 
begged him to return, but all in vain. 

This spring of 1541 was to bring him fame, though 
he never knew it. His thoughts were only of gold, 
and he judged his failure complete because he found 
none. 

The white men had wandered far to the westward. 
Suddenly they came upon the shore of a mighty ri\'er. 
Dark, strong, and wide, its waters swept past. It was 
the time of spring floods. The strong current whirled 
along giant trees like mere straws. 

The Spaniards strained their eyes to see the misty 
western shore. The river here was a mile and a half 
broad. 

The Indians called this river Mississippi, which means 
Great Father of Waters. De Soto and his band were 
the first white men to look upon it. It is because he 



A WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS 



6i 



discovered the Mississippi River that we remember De 
Soto's name to-day. 
He did not think much about the river at the time ; 




" Suddenly they came upon the shore of a mighty river." 

all he wanted was to cross it. This delayed him nearly 
a month, as boats had to be made. The Indian canoes 
could carry men across, but not horses. Four large 
boats were built. 

The Spaniards crossed the Mississippi and m.arched 
into Arkansas. But west of the river their luck was 



62 FERDINAND DE SOTO 

still unchanged. Month after month passed in weary 
marching, but no gold nor gems rewarded them. 

Disappointment made the Spaniards even more 
cruel, if that were possible. A very slight cause would 
lead them to fire a village. Often Indians had their 
hands cut off or were burned for slight faults. 

Hope was leaving De Soto at last, and pride was 
changing to despair. Fate was too strong. When the 
fourth spring came, they retraced their steps to the 
Mississippi River. At the mouth of the Red River 
De Soto fell ill of a fever. He died May 21, 1542. 

Alas for De Soto, with his vain dreams of the wealth 
of Florida! He died poorer than when he had landed 
at Tampa Bay, three years before. 

De Soto's followers wished to keep his death a se- 
cret from the Indians. That decided them not to 
bury him, as the Indians could readily find a grave. 
They wrapped his body in blankets loaded mth sand. 
At midnight a boat stole from the shore out upon the 
broad waters of the Mississippi. The body of De Soto 
was sunk in midstream. 

The party continued their wanderings another year. 
Then they built ships and sailed to Mexico. 

These four years of wandering gave the world very- 
little new knowledge of America. De Soto made no 
maps ; he left no records of the Indian tribes. Men 
learned, however, that Florida was not rich in gold 
and that far in the west rolled the mighty Mississippi. 



THE STORY OF MAGELLAN 

Ferdestand Magel'lan, as an explorer, was second 
only to Columbus. Many people think of him as greater 
than Columbus, and call the expedition that he cap- 
tained the greatest voyage in the history of the world. 

Magellan's life was not a long one, as he lived but 
forty-one years. Up to the age of twenty-five he was 
an idler. But he lived at the court of his native coun- 
try, Portugal, and so was close to men of action. 
Magellan saw many expeditions return from the far 
East, as well as from Africa. He saw Da Gama re- 
turn in triumph from the first trip to India by way of 
the Cape of Good Hope. 

Slowly ambition awoke in Magellan. He would 
cease to be an onlooker ; he too would do and dare for 
king and country. 

At the age of twenty-five, Magellan went with a 
Portuguese expedition to the East. On the voyage he 
learned all about the sailing of a ship. He became an 
expert navigator. 

Magellan served the king of Portugal seven years 
in the far East. In the last year of his absence from 
home, he sailed to the Spice Islands, southeast of Asia. 
As their name shows, these islands bore rich crops of 

63 



64 



FERDINAND MAGELLAN 



cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg, — spices which brought 
a great price in Europe. Magellan thought much 
about, these islands, as we shall see later. 

In 151 2 he returned to Portugal. The next year war 
broke out between the Portuguese and the Moors. 




"The friends often talked over Magellan's wanderings." 

Magellan went to Morocco and fought bravely for the 
king. He was wounded in the leg and thereafter al- 
ways limped. 

Ferdinand Magellan had a friend who knew astron- 
omy and astrology. The friends often talked over 
Magellan's wanderings in the East. The idea came to 
them of finding a passage south of South America, by 



THE STORY OF MAGELLAN 65 

which they could sail westward to the Spice Islands. 
The new lands they found they would claim for the 
king of Portugal. 

This plan Magellan put before the king, but the king 
was not interested. He said that he did not care where 
Magellan went ; moreover, he refused to let Magellan 
kiss his hand at parting. 

This was the last straw. Magellan and his friend 
shook the dust of Portugal from their feet. Like 
Columbus before them, they turned to Spain. 

Spain was ruled over by King Charles, a young man 
not more than eighteen years old at the time. But he 
had keen advisers who counseled him to assist the two 
strangers from Portugal. Charles promised Magellan 
five ships, provisioned for two years, with 250 men as 
a crew. Of course all the new lands discovered would 
now belong to Spain, instead of to Portugal. 

When the king of Portugal heard of Magellan's suc- 
cess, he was wild with anger. Up to the time of the 
sailing of the fleet he did his best to stop the under- 
taking. Men came to Magellan with the offer of great 
honors if he would return to Portugal ; others were 
hired to kill Magellan in the streets at night. But the 
seasoned soldier was always alert. His sword was ever 
on his hip and his dagger in his hand. He said of 
himself, "The lame goat never takes a siesta." 

Meanwhile the preparations went steadily on. No 
man in the world knew better than Magellan just what 

COE F. — 5 



66 FERDINAND MAGELLAN 

he needed. The ships were small and not new. They 
were unfit to cross two great oceans, but Magellan tink- 
ered them up with great skill. One writer, in speak- 
ing of the boats, says: "They are old and battered, and 
their ribs are soft as butter. Sorry would I be to sail 
in them." But as he was a Portuguese, he may have 
looked on the dark side. The cargo consisted of arti- 
cles that would please the native islanders and lead them 
to trade. They were quicksilver, alum, vermilion, 
velvet, red caps, handkerchiefs, colored cloth, fish- 
hooks, copper knives, combs, looking-glasses, and 
20,000 small bells. These last were especially the de- 
light of savages. 

On September 20, 15 19, Magellan set sail on a 
most wonderful voyage. His ship was the Trinidad. 
Here floated his banner by day; and here by night 
burned his lantern. The Trinidad led the way, and 
the San Antonio, the Victoria, and the other two ships 
followed. 

Southward they steered and then southwesterly 
across the Atlantic Ocean. There were hea\y gales, 
and it was two months before the northeastern coast 
of South America was sighted. By this time the cap- 
tain general foresaw serious trouble with his officers, 
due to his being a foreigner. The captains of three of 
his ships were Spaniards, and they murmured constantly 
against "this Portuguese." Although they had taken 
a vow in church to be true to their leader, they had 



THE STORY OF MAGELLAN 



67 



been at sea scarcely a week when they were plotting 
against him. 

Magellan was wonderfully wise. He let them go 
just so far and then, when they had put themselves in 




" The natives were very willing to trade." 

the wrong, he turned on them with swift and sharp 
punishment. 

The fleet made five stops on the eastern coast of 
South America. The sailors were glad to obtain fresh 
water, fruits, vegetables, and fowls. The natives 
were very willing to trade. They gave a full basket 
of potatoes for a bell, and five fowl for a pack of cards. 
"Even then they thought they were cheating me," 
writes one of the Spaniards. 

Magellan went into winter quarters at Port St. 



68 FERDINAND MAGELLAN 

Julian, in March, 1520. Here the party remained for 
five months, during the southern winter, and here one 
of the ships was wrecked. 

The natives of this southern part of South America 
interested the sailors greatly. They were tall and large. 
Magellan named them "Patagones," a word which 
means "clumsy-footed." This was because they 
wrapped their large feet in guanaco skins, which al- 
most doubled them in size. Their country is called 
Patagonia to this day. 

In October, 1520, just as the southern spring was 
coming on, the ships entered the strait that links the 
Atlantic with the Pacific Ocean. WTien the men real- 
ized that this was indeed a broad arm of the sea and 
not a river, a service of praise was held on deck. To 
honor the occasion, Magellan wore a velvet jacket, a 
cap with rich plumes, and a jeweled sword. It was one 
of the great moments of his life. For this was a great 
discovery, and his own ! 

He called a consultation of his ofiicers to consider 
whether they should go on or return. Their stock of 
provisions was low by this time, and they still had a 
very long voyage before them. Magellan pointed out 
that, so far, the only discovery had been the strait. 
They had spent the king's money with but little to 
show for it. And he ended with these words: "Even 
if we are reduced to eating the leather on our ships^ yards, 
I shall still go on." He carried nearly all with him by 



THE STORY OF MAGELLAN 



69 



these brave words, and with hearty applause the men 
voted to sail on. 

There was one man, however, who was much dis- 
satisfied. He was a skilled navigator on the San An- 




" Magellan carried nearly all with him by 
these brave words." 



tonio, named Gomez. He was jealous of Magellan and 
longed to return to Spain. Very soon his opportunity 
came. The strait divided into several channels, and 
the San Antonio and another ship were sent ofif to 
explore one of these passages. The Sa7t Antonio slipped 



yo FERDINAND MAGELLAN 

away, returned through the strait, and recrossed the 
Atlantic Ocean to Spain. There Gomez spread the 
He that Magellan and all his other ships were lost. 

Magellan spent some time searching for the San 
Antonio and her crew. He feared the vessel might 
have sunk, for he could not believe that the men had 
deserted. 

But days were passing and they could wait no longer. 
They proudly entered the unknown ocean and headed 
toward the northeast and its unknown lands. Some- 
where there were the Spice Islands, their longed-for 
goal. 

Sea and sky seemed to smile upon the three little ships 
breasting the unknown ocean. There were no storms 
and no adverse gales for one hundred days. IMagellan 
called the ocean the Pacific, and this name it has kept 
to this day. 

Nevertheless the voyage was not a fortunate one. 
The food grew poor and scarce. Magellan must often 
have recalled his pledge to eat the leather on the yard- 
arms, for that is finally what they did. They cut down 
the tough old hides, soaked them in water, boiled, and 
ate them. They ate also sawdust and the rats on the 
ships. The dreadful sickness called scurw broke out, 
and many died. 

Through all these trials the leader showed himself 
of wonderful nobility. He ate the same food as the 
men. He kept longer watches and never spared him- 



THE STORY OF MAGELLAN 71 

self. He never complained, nor would he allow others 
to do so. He steadied all and kept their purpose bright 
before them. 

At last land was sighted. How refreshing the wav- 
ing palms and blossoming vines looked to the weary 
sailors ! The natives brought fresh fruits and vege- 
tables in exchange for bells and other trifles, and the 
sick sailors at once began to mend. The natives here 
stole one of Magellan's longboats, but he soon recovered 
it. On account of this happening, he named the is- 
lands the Ladrones, or Robber Islands. 

When the ships reached the Philippines, a much 
longer stop was made. A hospital was set up on shore, 
into which were brought all who still continued ill. 
A trading post was established and a brisk exchange 
went on. 

So far every step had been wisely taken, but now 
Magellan attempted to settle a dispute between 
two rival chiefs. Taking with him sixty men, he went 
to a neighboring island. He formed his men on the 
sandy shore. The natives came against them in thou- 
sands. The Spaniards fought with crossbows and 
muskets, but they did little harm, as the natives had 
strong shields. 

Magellan was wounded wdth a poisoned arrow. He 
ordered a retreat, and the men, in dismay, rushed for 
their boats. Only six or eight remained beside Ma- 
gellan. For over an hour they fought, up to their 



72 



FERDINAND MAGELLAN 



knees in water. At last Magellan was wounded in the 

arm and could not use his sword. 

A sudden blow brought him to 

the ground, and then, writes one 

of his followers, "the Indians 

threw themselves upon him with 

iron-pointed bamboo spears — 

and ran him through — our 




"For over an hour they fought, up to their knees in water." 

mirror, our light, our comforter, our true guide — until 
they killed him." To the last he had protected the 
retreat of his men. 

The fate of Magellan is most pitiful, for it was so 



THE STORY OF MAGELLAN 73 

needless. The Spice Islands were close by; he would 
doubtless have returned in triumph to Spain, after the 
longest voyage ever made up to that time. It was 
poor judgment that led him, the hero of the Strait of 
Magellan and of the Pacific Ocean, to throw away his 
life in a petty skirmish with islanders whom he need 
not have noticed. 

More disasters followed. Two new captains were 
chosen in place of Magellan. With part of the crew 
they attended a native banquet. Scarcely were they 
on shore when they were killed by treachery. Those 
left on the ships sailed at once for safer ports. 

One ship was burned, as it was leaking badly. The 
two others, the Trinidad and the Victoria, reached the 
Spice Islands in November, 1521, twenty-six months 
after leaving Spain. 

They laid in a cargo of cloves and other spices, sandal- 
wood, and skins of birds of paradise. They worked 
rapidly, as they really had no right to be trading in 
these Portuguese islands. In six weeks' time they set 
sail, but alas! the Trinidad now sprang a leak and the 
Victoria was obliged to sail alone. 

What an eventful voyage lay before that tiny vessel ! 
She was only eighty-five tons, — ■ far smaller than the 
American coasting vessels of to-day. Her crew num- 
bered forty-seven. There were weeks and weeks of 
tiresome sailing across the Indian Ocean ; there 
were storms off the Cape of Good Hope that cost her a 



74 FERDINAND MAGELLAN 

fore-topmast ; there was slow, slow progress north- 
ward through the Atlantic Ocean, as the sailors often 
had to stop for repairs ; there was famine ; there was 
scurvy with all its horrors. 

In July, 1522, they reached the Cape Verde Islands. 
These were owned by the Portuguese. They dared 
not say where they had been. Had they done so, 
they and their cargo would at once have been seized. 
They got two boatloads of rice by saying that they 
had come from America. Then a whisper as to their 
true history got abroad. Portuguese boats began to 
gather, and they escaped only by a narrow chance. 

On the eighth of September, 1522, the Victoria docked 
at Seville and, amid peals of artillery, eighteen men 
walked ashore. They were all that were left of the 
two hundred and fifty who had sailed with Magellan 
three years before. No wonder the Spaniards gazed 
upon them with pride and wonder and pity. 

But this was a proud day for Spain ! She had found 
the hoped-for passage ; she first had sailed over the new- 
found ocean ; unknown lands of great wealth had been 
won for her ; all that Magellan had promised had been 
done. Moreover, in the hold of the Victoria was a 
cargo of spices worth enough to return to King Charles 
all he had paid out for Magellan. The undertaking 
had been a great success. If only Magellan could have 
been there ! A few faithful hearts must have grieved, 
in the midst of the general rejoicing. 



THE CABOTS, DISCOVERERS OF NORTH 
AMERICA 

So far ajl the explorers in this book have been work- 
ing for Spain. Let us see now what the Enghsh, the 
French, and the Dutch have been doing. 

Have you ever known any one who kept a diary? 
Perhaps the diary was just one of those pretty leather- 
bound "Line a Day" books. But if it is kept faith- 
fully, it may be of real service. When was it Aunt 
Mary died? In what year did your grandfather sell 
the farm ? Such questions, as time passes, are often 
asked in families, and the diary can answer, provided 
that it is kept carefully from year to year. 

What we know of these early American explorers 
varies greatly. Some kept records themselves, like 
Columbus ; others had those near them who kept 
journals of all events as they happened from day to 
day. This last was Magellan's good fortune. Con- 
sequently we know much of Columbus and Magellan, 
but very little of explorers like the Cabots, who neither 
wrote themselves nor were written about by their 
acquaintances. 

Thus it happens that the story of the Cabots must 
be a brief one. 

75 



76 THE CABOTS 

There were two Cabots, — John and his son Sebas- 
tian. They were ItaUans, but like Columbus and Ma- 
gellan, their voyages were made to benefit a country 
not their own. They sailed in the service of England. 

At the close of the fifteenth century, the town of 
Bristol on the west coast was one of the principal sea- 
ports of England. Here lived and prospered enterpris- 
ing merchants and sturdy English sailors. From this 
port went out scores of fishermen to make their living 
from the fisheries off Iceland. 

Here, in 1490, came John Cabot to make his home. He 
had lived for over fifteen years in Venice, where he was 
known as a successful merchant and a skilled navigator. 

To him and to his three sons, just entering manhood, 
came the news of Columbus's success. To reach the 
Spice Islands and other rich countries of the East you 
had only to embark on this gray Atlantic Ocean and 
sail west and ever west I It seemed a simple and yet 
fascinating undertaking ! John Cabot had been to 
Mecca ; he had seen spice-laden caravans moving 
across the desert towards Europe. He too would like 
to follow the example of Columbus. So he must often 
have said to himself as he walked along the wharves of 
staid old Bristol. 

In 1496, John Cabot obtained a patent from King 
Henry VII of England. This patent granted to him and 
to his three sons the right "to sail to the east, west, 
or north with five ships carrying the English flag." 



DISCOVERERS OF NORTH AMERICA 



77 



They were "to seek and discover all the islands, coun- 
tries, or provinces of pagans in whatsoever part of the 
world." In one direction they might not go, — -to the 




John Cabot shows his patent. 



south. The Spaniards had explored to the south and 
made their claims there. The English must avoid 
that quarter of the world. 



78 THE CABOTS 

Fourteen months passed and then, in May, 1497, 
John Cabot set sail from Bristol. His ship was the 
Matthew, a tiny vessel of but sixty tons. She was 
manned by eighteen sailors, and possibly the young 
man, Sebastian, may have gone with his father. 

After leaving Bristol, the Matthew skirted the coast 
of Ireland and then turned to the west. On the twenty- 
fourth of June, 1497, they sighted land, — probably the 
shore of Labrador. This was supposed to be the 
Chinese coast. 

There was no reason for the voyagers' remaining. 
So the end of July found them landing on one of the 
old Bristol wharves with fellow-townsmen crowding 
around for the news. What the crew seem to have 
spoken of with most delight was not so much the land 
they had found, as the immense shoals of fish they had 
sailed through far west of Ireland. 

Cabot was much praised. In a letter written at this 
t'me we read, "Honors are heaped upon Cabot, he is 
called Grand Admiral, he is dressed in silk, and the 
English run after him like madmen." Henry VII re- 
warded him with a gift of ten pounds and a pension. 

In the next year, Cabot again set sail, this time with 
five ships. His plan was to find again the land he had 
discovered the previous year. Thence he would sail 
south to rich Asiatic islands. We hear that one of 
Cabot's little fleet was driven by storm into an Irish port. 
But we hear nothing more of Cabot or of his voyage. 



DISCOVERERS OF NORTH AMERICA 79 

Tradition says that John died on the voyage, that 
Sebastian took command, and that many leagues of 
American coast hne were explored. But these facts 
are claimed, not proven. 

Why do we remember the Cabots in history ? Their 
deeds do not compare with those of Columbus, De Soto, 
or Magellan. Twenty-five years after John Cabot's 
first voyage, Magellan proved that these unknown 
lands across the Atlantic were not Asia or islands of 
Asia. They were a new world, a new continent. The 
land could then be claimed by the nations of Europe. 
Spain, Portugal, and France, all were eager for huge 
slices of territory. But England said, "Wait ! I claim 
North America." "By what right?" clamored the 
other nations. "By the voyage of John Cabot in 1497, 
when the English flag was planted on the bleak rocky 
coast of North America." 

Out of this claim grew the thirteen colonies, and, in 
time, our great republic of the United States. Be- 
cause of the Cabots we are speaking and reading Engl'^li 
in the United States and also loving with all our hearts 
the liberty that came to us because the United States 
was EngKsh-born. 



"THE FURROW ABOUT THE WORLD" 

A YEAR after De Soto had begun his pilgrimage, a 
child was born in the fine old English county of Devon- 
shire. His name was Francis Drake. His father had 
twelve sons, most of whom followed the sea. 

This was not strange, considering where many of 
them were born and brought up. The family were at 
one time so poor that they were glad to make their 
home in an old ship. The ship was moored in the 
harbor of Plymouth. 

From its deck the children could study the sea every 
day. Winds and waters were their primers. They 
knew the hours of ebb and flood. They knew currents, 
and the changing skies with their storms and calms. 

Plymouth was an important English sea town. Like 
Columbus before him, the boy Francis Drake hung 
about seamen to listen to their stories of adventures. 
The Italians had told Columbus of fighting the Moors. 
But these bronzed old sailors in Plymouth spoke of fights 
with Spain. 

You must know that Spain and England were en- 
emies in these days. England would hav^e fought Spain 
had she dared. But in the middle of the sixteenth 
century England was small and weak. 

80 



"THE FURROW ABOUT THE WORLD" 



Spain, on the contrary, was very powerful. She 

held much of Europe in her grasp. Then Columbus 

had added a new 
world to her king- 
dom. Rivers of 
gold and silver 
flooded her coffers 
year by year. 

Spain was very 
jealous of her new 
possessions. She 
ordered other na- 
tions to keep their 
hands off. She 
barred them out of 
the West Indies as 
much as possible. 
Never a flag but 
the Spanish was 
seen on the Ameri- 
can side of the 
Pacific Ocean. To 
hold America and 
the Philippines 

more surely for herself, she kept all true maps secret. 

She also spread much false information. 

There were many Englishmen who longed to trade 

with the Indies, They knew fortunes could be won 




" The children could study the sea every day 



82 SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 

there, and they wished to share the spoil. At least there 
was plenty of gold on the homeward-bound Spanish 
ships. What harm in seizing this wealth from the 
other side of the world ? 

Thus a very strange state of affairs came about. 
Spain and England were at peace, but their ships 
fought each other everywhere. They fought in the 
New World, on the high seas, and in the English 
Channel. 

Elizabeth, the queen of England, knew this was so. 
She was secretly pleased to have her enemy weakened 
by the attacks of privateers acting without her author- 
ity. If Spain complained, she could express her dis- 
pleasure with the "pirates." It was no shame to be 
such a sea robber in those days. Excellent gentlemen 
were privateers. 

The English Channel was a fine place in which to 
lie in wait for Spaniards. Both Dutch and English 
privateers would pounce on their prey and then run into 
Plymouth or other English ports for safety. Stories 
of bloody fights and hairbreadth escapes were over- 
heard again and again by the lad Francis Drake. He 
was a boy of courage ; it was no wonder that he too 
longed to lead such a life. 

And now came the first modest step towards his 
sea career. His father apprenticed him to the master 
of a dingy little coaster. This vessel ran to and fro 
between Holland, France, and England. Drake led a 



"THE FURROW ABOUT THE WORLD" 83 

hard life, but he was loyal to his mean duties. He won 
his master's heart. 

Through his faithfulness came the first step up. 
The master died and left the little bark to Drake. 

The vessel was sold and the money wisely expended. 
At nineteen Francis Drake started on his first long 
voyage. He was captain on the ship J^idith, one ot 
a fleet of five vessels that Captain John Hawkins was 
to take to the Indies. 

Like his father before him, John Hawkins was a 
slave trader. He carried negroes from Africa to be 
sold in Haiti. But in those days slave trading, like 
privateering, was a respectable calling. 

In the New World, Hawkins loaded his ships with 
gold, silver, pearls, hides, and sugar, and returned home. 
Occasionally he captured a Spanish ship and all her 
treasure. This was a good stroke for England; it 
was all in the day's work. 

When Drake sailed with Hawkins, the voyage began 
well. The Englishmen captured five hundred negroes 
and ran across the Atlantic Ocean. But the Spaniards 
had been ordered not to deal with them. The English 
actually had to storm one town before the people 
would trade with them. 

Though the Spanish governors frowned, the Spanish 
traders were eager to buy negro help. So the trading 
went merrily on for a while. 

In crossing the Gulf of Mexico the fleet was struck 



84 SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 

by two severe tempests. For safety Hawkins put into 
the harbor of Vera Cruz. He said he was an ally of 
Spain, and claimed Spanish protection. 

The chief men in Vera Cruz did not know what to 
do. They sent to Mexico for instructions. 

There were, at this time, twelve Spanish ships in 
the harbor heavily freighted with silver. Five million 
dollars was almost in the grasp of Hawkins, but he 
refrained from taking it. He felt he ought to respect 
hospitality. This was a bitter memory in the light of 
what followed. 

Suddenly thirteen Spanish ships appeared at the 
harbor mouth. Hawkins might have prevented their 
entering. But he did not. Spaniards and English- 
men promised each other solemnly to keep peace 
within the harbor. 

All went well for three days. On the fourth day, 
without a word of warning, the Spaniards attacked the 
English by sea and land. A fierce naval battle was 
fought. Only two English ships escaped from that 
ill-fated harbor. The other three were captured or 
sunk. 

About seventy English prisoners suffered terrible tor- 
tures and cruel deaths. To fall into Spanish hands in 
those harsh days of old was the worst fate a fond Eng- 
lish mother could fear for her son. 

The Minion and the Judith got away. Hawkins 
and Drake were safe. Drake, however, never forgot 



i 



THE FURROW ABOUT THE WORLD" 



85 



this black treachery at Vera Cruz. From this time 
on he Hved for revenge. Spain had won for herself 
a sleepless foe. 

Francis Drake decided to trade no more. He would 
be a privateer. 
Every ship on 
which the Spanish 
flag floated was his 
lawful prey. 

Heaven seemed 
to smile upon him. 
He made three 
voyages to the West 
Indies. He took 
much treasure and 
grew very rich. 

He had a wonder- 
ful experience on 
his third voyage. 
His ship was near 
the Isthmus of 
Panama. He had 
made friends with 
the natives. 
Guided by them, 
he went part of 

the way across the isthmus and, from a tree top, beheld 
the wide waters of the Pacific Ocean. This majestic 




Drake sees the Pacific. 



86 SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 

sight filled him with awe. He prayed that he might 
some day sail this unknown sea. 

Drake was not the first white man to view the Pa- 
cific from the Isthmus of Panama. Sixty years before, 
Balboa had discovered the ocean at this point. He 
had called it the South Sea, and had taken possession 
of it for Spain. And up to this time the Spaniards 
had been the only Europeans to sail upon it. 

In the fall of 1577 Drake gathered a fleet of five ves- 
sels. They were the Pelican, Elizabeth, Swan, Mari- 
gold, and Christopher. The largest ship, the Pelican, 
weighed only one hundred tons. It was no larger than 
a good-sized racing yacht of to-day. 

Drake's flagship, the Pelican, was richly furnished, 
for Drake was now a man of wealth. He dined from 
silver dishes, and musicians of talent played and sang 
during meal times. "Was not this a contrast to the 
days on board the dreary little coaster ? 

In December they set sail from Plymouth. It was 
noised abroad in England that Drake was making a 
voyage to Egypt. This was to deceive the Spanish 
ambassador. Had he known that their true destina- 
tion was the South Sea, warning would have been sent 
posthaste to all Spanish cities and ships in the New 
World. 

The fleet sailed southward along the African coast, 
stopping at the Cape Verde Islands to refit. Occasion- 
ally they took a prize ship, either Spanish or Portu- 



"THE FURROW ABOUT THE WORLD" 87 

guese. The gold found on the captured ships was 
kept, but the men were set free. 

On one ship they found a man well acquainted with 
the Brazilian coast. He eagerly agreed to go with 
them when he learned their destination. 

Francis Drake's was a daring scheme. He meant 
to go through the passage that Magellan had dis- 
covered some sixty years before. This passage around 
South America had been almost forgotten. But it 
led into the Pacific. Drake had never forgotten that 
prospect from Panama and his fervent prayer on the 
hilltop. 

The whole company now knew their destination. 
But the forces of nature opposed them. Storms and 
gales beat them backward, until many of the sailors 
felt that the powers of darkness were against them. 
Drake, however, had no such superstition. At his 
command the little fleet pressed stubbornly on. 

At the entrance to the Strait of Magellan the name 
of the Pelican was changed to the Golden Hind. 

Sixteen days were spent in beating through the strait. 
Head winds were constant. On entering the Pacific 
a fearful storm drove the Golden Hind far southward. 

"It is an ill wind that blows nobody any good." 
The good that came to the Englishmen, so far from their 
proper course, was this : Spain had said that the south- 
ern shore of the Strait of Magellan was the coast of 
an extensive continent. Drake proved the contrary. 



88 SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 

There was no land mass here ; merely the lonely, world- 
end waters of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. " With- 
out a mark, without a bound," their waters rolled away 
toward the southern pole. 

One of Spain's monstrous lies was exposed. It was 
an easy task, not a difficult, to pass from one ocean to 
the other. 

But Drake's heart was heavy with fear for his lost 
comrades. The Golden Hind pressed northward search- 
ing everywhere for the scattered fleet. Alas ! the 
Marigold had foundered with all on board ! The other 
vessels either were lost or had deserted. 

Drake's second officer, the captain of the Elizabeth, 
had lingered for a while in the straits. He had built 
bonfires in conspicuous places, but with no result. It 
had been agreed that the fleet, if scattered, should meet 
at Valparaiso. This captain should have carried out 
the agreement. He believed, however, that the sea 
had swallowed up Francis Drake and the Golden Hind. 
A few days more passed ; then he hastened to tell the 
bad news to England. 

Drake's courage did not fail. AU alone he sailed 
northward over these uncharted seas. Finally, he 
reached Valparaiso. An enormous treasure ship called 
the Great Captain of the South was in the harbor. 

Now you must remember that no English ship had 
ever been seen in the Pacific. The Great Captain, 
taking the Golden Hind for a Spanish ship, welcomed it 



"THE FURROW ABOUT THE WORLD" 89 

with drumbeats. Furthermore, an invitation was sent to 
the Englishmen to come on board and pass a merry night. 

They accepted, but it was a surprise party for the 
Spaniards when grim old Tom Moore climbed over 
the side of their ship, shouting in his broken Spanish, 
"Down, dog, down !" A lusty band of English sailors 
were at his heels. They clapped the crew under hatches 
and then eagerly pillaged the ship. Her cargo con- 
sisted of fine wines and gold. They also found a splen- 
did "gold crucifix beset with emeralds." 

Till now Spain had had everything her own way in 
these seas. Ships were richly freighted at ports on the 
west coast of South America. They then sailed for 
Panama. There the goods were unloaded and carried 
by negroes across to the Atlantic coast. There they 
were reshipped to Spain. From Panama to Spain the 
sailors had to keep a sharp watch for pirates and Eng- 
lish privateers. 

But now a hated English privateer was in the Pacific 
Ocean, where never freebooters had been seen before. 
The Golden Hind had everything her own way. She 
frolicked along the coast, pillaging ships and cities. 
Richer and heavier grew her cargo. Amazement met 
her ; she left blank dismay behind. 

On the coast of Peru, Drake slipped into a harbor 
at dead of night. He was aided by a pilot whom he 
had taken prisoner. There the English ransacked all 
the vessels, but found no gold. But they heard that 



90 SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 

a vast quantity had been recently shipped to Panama 
in a ship called Spitfire. 

Here was a prize worth chasing. Off they started, 
but a calm fell. It lasted three days. During that time 
four ships put out from the harbor to attack Drake. 
But they feared the bold English rover. While they 
hesitated what to do, a breeze arose. The Golden 
Hind showed them "a clean pair of heels," and their 
chance to strike was gone. They went home to mold 
bullets to be ready for Drake's return. 

The Spitfire was fourteen days ahead, but the 
Golden Hind was as swift as her name. She pressed 
on, skimming over the miles. The Spitfire was but 
two days ahead. 

"A golden chain to the man who first sights the 
chase!" cried Drake. It fell to his nephew, young 
John Drake, who first saw the sail. 

In the darkness of night they stole alongside the 
Spitfire. A single shot was fired, and the ship was 
theirs. Oh, the rich booty ! It would have bought a 
petty kingdom. Stuffed with gems and gold, bal- 
lasted with silver, the Golden Hind could carry no more. 
She must up sail for home. 

Some days later the poor Spitfire crept into Panama 
with her strange news. Thence word at length reached 
England, through the Spanish envoy, that Drake was 
not dead, as the sailors of the Elizabeth had said. Nay, 
rather, he was very much alive; the west coast of 



THE FURROW ABOUT THE WORLD' 



91 



America was at his mercy. You can imagine how 
glad and proud the EngHsh were. Still they often 
wondered whether he would ever see home again. 




Bringing booty to the Golden Hind. 



And that was indeed a serious question with Drake. 
The whole west coast of South America was in arms, 
preparing cannon and bullets to give him a hot welcome 
on his return. 



92 



SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 



W 



Drake decided not to return. He would continue 
northward. Perhaps he might find a northeast pas- 
sage to Europe. The weather 
grew very cold. Ice formed ''"" '-" ' "^./-^ ''V^J 
on the rigging and the men 
actually suffered. No east- 
ward channel appeared. 

Then Drake turned the 
prow of the Golden Hind 
southward. He had a new 
and bold idea. But before 




^ The Indians offered to make him their king." 



it could be carried out, the Golden Hind must be re- I 
fitted. 

Some twenty miles north of the Bay of San Francisco 



"THE FURROW ABOUT THE WORLD" 93 

a harbor was found. There they encamped and began 
the repairing of their stanch httle vessel. 

There were plenty of Indians in the neighborhood. 
At first they were very timid and kept their distance. 
Later they grew bolder and came in great and stately 
processions to pay court to the strangers. 

I am glad to say that Drake treated the natives 
kindly. The Indians grew so fond of the Englishman 
that they finally offered to make him their king. They 
brought him a rude crown and many bone necklaces. 

Drake thought he ought not to refuse the gift of this 
country for the queen's sake. He therefore accepted 
it in her name. He set up a stout pillar with a state- 
ment of the gift engraved upon it in brass. He also 
left with the Indians portraits of their new queen in 
the shape of sixpences. 

And now the Hind was ready for her new venture. 
The masts were strengthened, the cordage mended, the 
water casks filled. Drake turned her prow westward. 
Gathered on the headland, the Indians burned bonfires 
as a farewell to their white friends. 

Where is the Golden Hind going ? Around the world 
and home. 

One of the treasures found on a captured ship had 
been a map of the seas and shoals of the East Indies. 
No such precious bit of parchment had ever been in 
the hands of an English captain before. This would 
be of infinite value in Drake's bold venture. 



94 SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 

He dared not follow the usual ocean paths, for he 
carried too rich a treasure. Once the Golden Hhid ran 
upon a reef, where she stuck fast. It seemed that she 
had reached her last resting place. But Drake did 
not despair. This treasure must reach England. He 
ordered guns, spices, anything of slight value to be 
thrown overboard. In this way the vessel was light- 
ened, and suddenly she floated off as unexpectedly as 
she had floated on. 

Time fails us to tell of the rounding of the Cape of 
Good Hope and other adventures. 

One day in the fall of 1580, a worm-eaten little craft 
came laboring into Plymouth harbor. Her keel was 
covered with weeds and barnacles, but her decks were 
in brave array. Her masts were gilded and her men 
were dressed in silks with jeweled ornaments. 

The news of the return spread like wildfire. Crowds 
flocked to see the famous vessel that had plowed a 
"furrow about the world." A train of pack horses 
bore her choicest treasure to London. 

Queen Elizabeth showed great honor to Drake. She 
attended a banquet on the Golden Hind, and at its 
close she knighted the daring sea captain. She also 
ordered that his ship be carefully preserved. When 
at last the Golden Hind began to fall apart, a chair 
was made of its timbers, which now may be seen at 
Oxford. 

This voyage of 15 77-1 580 was the crowning glory 




" Elizabeth knighted the daring sea captain. 
95 



96 



SIR FR.\NCIS DRAKE 



of Sir Francis Drake's life. What remains may be 
very briefly told. 

During the next four years he was mayor of Plym- 
outh. Then Queen Elizabeth decided on war with 
Spain. She sent 
her trusty captain 
with a strong fleet 
and land force to 
the West Indies. 
There Drake pil- 
laged the Spaniards 
as relentlessly as 
Cortes and Pizarro 
had pillaged the 
Indians in the early 
part of the cen- 
tury. 

Spain began to 
gather a great fleet 
with which to in- 
vade England. It 
was called the In- 
vincible Armada. 
The Armada was in the harbor of Cadiz, a Spanish 
seaport. 

Drake entered the harbor, destroyed much shipping, 
took a good deal of booty, and then withdrew. It was 
a most daring deed, and the Spaniards were completely 




Drake in the fight with the Armada. 



" THE FURROW ABOUT THE WORLD " 97 

taken by surprise. How the English laughed when 
they were told the story of Drake's "singeing the king's 
beard!" 

The Armada came the next year. She had floating 
castles of ships and four times as many men as England. 
But might did not conquer, or, if it did, it was the might 
of the strong heart and not of the bigger fleet. 

Lord High-Admiral Howard, Drake, Hawkins, Ra- 
leigh, Frobisher, and other brave captains went out 
against her. England won, and from the time of the 
defeat of the Armada, Spain lost power steadily. 

Seven years later, Drake asked Elizabeth to let him 
lead one more expedition against Spain. His plan was 
to capture Panama and to seize the treasure that 
came across the isthmus to be shipped to Spain. Sir 
John Hawkins was to accompany him. 

The expedition was a complete failure. The Span- 
iards had been forewarned everywhere, and resisted 
successfully. Hawkins died, overcome by his misfor- 
tunes. Drake's proud spirit could not bear this, his 
first and only reverse. He feU ill of a fever and died 
on board his ship. His body was placed in a leaden 
casket and sunk in the sea. 



SIR WALTER RALEIGH, PIONEER 

The English have a proud saying that the sun never 
sets upon the Enghsh flag. This means that the lands 
they own encircle the earth. Because England con- 
trols Canada, India, Australia, and South i\frica, she 
calls her government an empire. 

Who first thought of empire? Who took the first 
step in this direction ? It was Walter Raleigh, a sol- 
dier and courtier of the time of Queen Elizabeth, 
and his half-brother, Humphrey Gilbert. Raleigh 
said to himself : "It is well and good for Drake to sail 
around the world in the Golden Hind. We are proud 
to have the English flag carried into the Pacific Ocean. 
It is well and good for us to visit these new lands, to 
explore them in our search for gold, and to trade with 
the Indians. But England should do more. She 
should settle the land with sturdy Englishmen and their 
famihes, that so her power may grow in America." 

This was a very far-sighted thought for those days. 
It was an idea that few had at the time. But 
Raleigh did not merely think ; he acted. Again and 
again he sent out colonists and supplies, until he had 
spent what to-day would equal one million dollars. 

Before thinking about the success of these ventures. 



ENGLISH PIONEER 



99 



let us learn a little more of the man who sent them 
forth. 

Walter Raleigh, like Drake, was a Devonshire boy. 
He too knew and loved the sea from his birth. He too 




" Raleigh liked to talk with old sea captains." 



delighted to talk with old sea captains of their adven- 
tures by sea and by land. The tales he loved best 
were those of explorations in rich and beautiful America, 
and of fights with Spain, the enemy of England. 

Walter Raleigh's best friends were his half-brothers, 
Humphrey and Adrian Gilbert. They were a num- 
ber of years older than himself, but he delighted to be 



lOO SIR WALTER RALEIGH 

with them. Both Humphrey and Adrian Gilbert had 
high aims in Ufe, and the young boy caught their spirit. 
He too would make himself of value to England and 
to Queen Elizabeth. 

When he was about sixteen years old, Raleigh entered 
college at Oxford. He spent but one year there. Then 
he went to France to serve as a soldier. For twelve 
years he trained himself in arms, fighting in France, 
in Holland, and in Ireland. In France he also gained 
a poHsh of manner and a charm of bearing that after- 
ward made him one of the ornaments of Elizabeth's 
court. 

At the age of thirty Raleigh came to London, to 
present himself at court. Queen Elizabeth, magnifi- 
cently dressed, was walking in her park. Some 
courtiers were attending her and others were standing 
near. It was after a rainfall, and in her progress the 
queen came upon a muddy place in the path. She 
hesitated to advance. Immediately a young man 
hastened forward and threw his rich velvet cloak before 
her so that she might pass dry-shod. The deed was 
gallantly done and pleased the queen, who loved 
romance. 

The young man, she saw, was handsome and grace- 
ful. She called him to her and chatted with him awhile. 
Raleigh showed that he had keen wit and high intclH- 
gence. Elizabeth was charmed. She had heard of 
Raleigh, and now she decided that he should remain at 




' Raleigh threw his rich velvet cloak before her." 



I02 SIR WALTER RALEIGH 

court, among the able and brilliant men whom she 
delighted to gather around her. 

The young man's fortune was now assured. The 
queen gave him estates, revenues, and many honors. 
Always his petitions for others were granted in those 
days. Raleigh was glad to find that he could help his 
beloved brother, Sir Humphrey Gilbert. Gilbert 
wished to make a settlement in America. He had 
ventured once before, but the effort had failed. Now, 
in 1583, he was glad to try again. 

With five ships Sir Humphrey Gilbert set sail from 
Plymouth. One of these ships Raleigh had paid for. 
Their party landed in Newfoundland, and there Gil- 
bert tried to make a settlement. But the men were 
not pleased with the place, and insisted on going 
home. 

On their return voyage a fierce storm arose when they 
were off the Maine coast. Gilbert was in a small vessel, 
the Squirrel. His men had urged him to sail in the 
larger ship, the Golden Hind, but he had refused. He 
would not desert the little company with whom he had 
shared so many perils, he said. The captain of the 
Golden Hind tells the story of what followed in these 
words : 

" Sitting abaft with a book in his hands, amid the 
fury of the storm. Sir Humphrey Gilbert called out re- 
peatedly to the sailors of the Golden Hind : ' We are as 
near to heaven by sea as by land.' The same Monday 



ENGLISH PIONEER 103 

night, about twelve of the clock, suddenly the lights of 
the Squirrel disappeared, and withal our watch cried 
out our general was cast away, which was too true ; for 
in that moment the frigate was devoured and swallowed 
up in the sea." So perished Sir Humphrey Gilbert, 
one of the many gallant captains of Queen Elizabeth's 
time. 

But Raleigh's purpose was unchanged by his brother's 
death. Elizabeth made him a large grant of land in 
America. Raleigh promptly sent out two ships to ex- 
plore. They entered various inlets and sounds on the 
coast of what is now North Carolina, and finally 
discovered Roanoke Island. 

On their return to England they told of the balmy 
climate, the beautiful harbors and rivers, the abundant 
game and fish, the luscious fruits, the noble forests. 
What could man want more ? All who listened were 
charmed, and especially Elizabeth. She herself gave 
to this region the name of Virginia. This name was 
chosen "that men might know that the country was 
explored in the time of the virgin queen." As further 
proof of her satisfaction, Elizabeth knighted Raleigh. 
Henceforth he was known as Sir Walter Raleigh. 

In the spring of the next year, 1585, seven vessels 
owned by Raleigh sailed from Plymouth. They carried 
one hundred and eighty colonists to Virginia. Sir 
Richard Grenville, a very lion for bravery, commanded 
the little fleet. 



I04 SIR WALTER RALEIGH 

Storms met them on the American coast. They were 
nearly wrecked off a point that they named Cape Fear. 
But at last Grenville landed them all safe and sound 
upon Roanoke Island. Then, promising to return with 
supplies by the next Easter, he sailed away. 

Few American colonies behaved so foolishly as this 
one from which Raleigh hoped so much. The men 
should have tilled the ground and sowed seed that 
would have yielded a good harvest in the fall. But they 
spent their time in looking for gold mines, that they 
might grow rich without hard work. They also quar- 
reled with the Indians. 

Food was scanty and the people were much dis- 
couraged. Suddenly sails appeared on the horizon. 
They proved to be, not Grenville's vessels, but Drake's. 
He was returning from a cruise in the Spanish Main 
(Caribbean Sea), and had stopped to see how the Eng- 
lish colony was progressing. 

The colonists begged to be taken home, and finally 
Drake yielded to their prayers. Thus the colony was 
abandoned, to Raleigh's bitter disappointment. 

Supply ships from Raleigh came soon after the colo- 
nists had gone, so that they had not been forgotten, as 
they thought. Grenville also appeared at Roanoke and 
was distressed to find no one there. "But the colony 
must not be given up so lightly," he thought. "We 
must hold this land for England." So he left fifteen 
men at Roanoke Island, with supplies for two years. 



ENGLISH PIONEER 105 

The next year, 1587, Raleigh sent out another colony 
of farmers and mechanics. Their governor was John 
White, and they were to settle farther north, on the 
shores of Chesapeake Bay. But first they were to 
stop at Roanoke to take off the fifteen men whom Gren- 
ville had left. 

There was some misunderstanding. The captains 
landed the colonists at Roanoke Island and then sailed 
away and left them. It was found that Grenville's 
fifteen men had been killed by the Indians. And now 
here they were, in this unlucky place, instead of be- 
ginning happily a new venture on Chesapeake Bay. 

One ship had been left them, and in that Governor 
White went home for supplies. He left behind at 
Roanoke his daughter, and her husband, and their 
child, his baby granddaughter. This little girl was 
named Virginia Dare. She was the first English child 
born in America, and her parents chose to name her for 
the country. 

It was three years before White returned. This was 
not his fault, but was due to the war with Spain. In 
1 591 he landed at Roanoke and looked around for his 
family and friends. They were not to be found. The 
spot was deserted ; grass was growing in the block- 
house ; five broken chests stood near a clump of cedars ; 
tattered leaves from books fluttered here and there. 
The place was most forlorn. 

There was but one clew to the fate of the colonists. 



io6 



SIR WALTER RALEIGH 



On the trunk of a tree was carved the word Croatan. 

Now there is an island of that name not far from Roa- 
noke. The captain 
agreed to take White 
there, but a severe storm 
arose and the captain 
dared not linger near the 
coast. He sailed away 
to England, and the 
poor old grandfather 
never knew what be- 
came of little Virginia 
Dare. Some say that 




■ On the trunk of a tree was carved the word Croatan." 



ENGLISH PIONEER 107 

the colonists went to live with the Indians, but no one 
will ever know. 

All these failures did not alter Raleigh's purpose. 
He was still determined to make a settlement. Year 
after year he sent forth his vessels, until nine ex- 
peditions had been sent. But all were failures. 
Raleigh was most patient and most generous, for all 
these ventures he paid for himself. But now he had 
spent all he had, and could do very little more; 
£40,000, then worth as much as a million of our dollars 
to-day, had gone for America, and what had been the 
returns ? 

Much of the coast of Virginia had been explored, 
and two American plants had been made known to 
the English. These were the potato and the tobacco 
plants. The first potatoes raised by Englishmen were 
grown on Raleigh's estate in Ireland. Think what a 
useful vegetable the potato is to-day ! As for tobacco, 
the Indians showed Raleigh how to smoke. He had 
a silver pipe made like their clay ones, and then he 
taught the court the use of the weed. Elizabeth was 
much interested. Tradition says that she even smoked 
a pipe of tobacco herself from curiosity. 

Once Raleigh was reading and smoking his long silver 
pipe. A new servant entered the room with a mug of 
ale. The man had never before in his life seen any 
one smoke. He thought Raleigh was on fire, and, to 
save his life, threw the ale all over him. 



io8 



SIR WALTER RALEIGH 



There was one thing Raleigh might have done for 
his settlements that he did not do. He might have 
come himself. He was a great worker ; he could "toil 

terribly"; it may 
be that he alone 
could have plucked 
success out of fail- 
ure. But Raleigh 
did not come, be- 
cause he was too 
many-sided. He 
was trying to be 
too many kinds 
of men, all at 
once. He was the 
soldier, the sea 
captain, the colo- 
nizer, the courtier, 
and the poet. 
But Raleigh the 
soldier and the 




" Raleigh fought most gallantly." 



courtier helped Raleigh the colonizer too. 

The fate of the Roanoke colony proved that no Eng- 
lish settlement could succeed in America until England 
had conquered Spain . Ships of supplies were sent out by 
Raleigh, only to be captured by Spain. When the Span- 
ish Armada came, Raleigh fought most gallantly. Every 
blow was struck for America as well as for England. 



ENGLISH PIONEER 109 

The last years of Raleigh's life were sad ones. When 
Elizabeth died, his star set. King James distrusted 
him, and sent him to the Tower. There he was tried 
for treason, and condemned to death. But James 
dared not kill Raleigh, who was popular with the peo- 
ple. So Raleigh lived on a prisoner in the Tower. 

Twelve years passed. They were hard years for a 
man who had led such a free, active life. But Raleigh 
only grew in nobility and dignity of mind. To occupy 
himself he wrote a history of the world. 

At last King James released Raleigh, but he did not 
pardon him. The reason for his release was that the 
king was poor and needed money. Before Elizabeth 
died Raleigh had visited a part of South America called 
Guiana. Here he had found gold. 

King James set Raleigh free so that he might lead a 
party to Guiana to bring back gold for himself and his 
king. Raleigh knew that his liberty and his life de- 
pended upon his success. He knew that he went with 
a halter round his neck. However, it would be life in 
the open once more, and he was willing to take the risk. 

Now Guiana was claimed by Spain, so that Raleigh 
was to walk into the jaws of his old enemy. The suc- 
cess of the undertaking depended upon its being kept 
a profound secret. James asked Raleigh to point out 
his route to him. Raleigh asked of the king, in return, 
his royal word not to reveal it, and the king pledged it. 
Then Sir Walter told him. Almost before Raleigh 



no SIR WALTER RALEIGH 

had set sail, the silly and faithless James told the whole 
plan to the Spanish ambassador. 

Then, of course, the undertaking was doomed to 
failure. The South American colonists were warned, 
and when the EngHsh fleet arrived at the mouth of the 
Orinoco River, a Spanish force was waiting to attack 
it. Nevertheless Raleigh made brave efforts, but his 
captains played him false ; his son and heir, a very 
noble young man, was slain ; the gold mine could not 
be found ; he himself was ill and crushed with grief at 
the death of his son. At last he returned to England, 
a hopeless old man. He was promptly arrested and 
returned to the Tower. 

A short time passed and then the ax fell. Raleigh 
met death with the courage and noble bearing that had 
marked his whole life. He felt the edge of the ax and 
then kissed it. 

"This," said he, "gives me no fear. It is a sharp 
medicine, to cure me of all my troubles." 

Stevenson says, "God has made nobler heroes, but 
he never made a finer gentleman than Walter Raleigh." 



CHAMPLAIN, THE FATHER OF NEW FRANCE 

In the very year when Francis Drake was making 
his first voyage to the West Indies, there was born in 
France a child who was named Samuel de Champlain. 
His birthplace was a little fishing town on the stormy 
Bay of Biscay. His father was a captain in the navy. 
Thus Champlain, like Columbus and Drake, heard the 
call of the sea from his earliest years. 

He had training not only as a sailor, but also as a 
soldier. He served in the army of King Henry IV of 
France. 

After the war was over, Champlain spent some 
months in Spain, studying the people and their famous 
cities. While there, he was asked to command the St. 
Julian, a Spanish ship sailing with others to the West 
Indies. Thus he had the opportunity of visiting 
Mexico and other well-known towns of the Spanish 
colonies. 

Spain was jealous of her colonies. No foreigners were 
welcomed on her coasts. Her charts she kept for her- 
self alone. 

Because the first discoverers were Spanish, Spain 
claimed most of the New World for herself. But now 
both England and France were thoroughly roused 



112 SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN 

to the needs of the time. They felt they must assert 
their claims in America by means of settlements. Spain 
had strong settlements, and France longed to know the 
secret of her success. 

This, Champlain was shrewd enough to see. From 
place to place he went, observing keenly. Night after 
night he recorded what he had seen by day. At the 
end of two years he sailed for home. There he laid 
valuable information before King Henr}'. 

It was at once decided that a French settlement must 
be made in the New World. France laid claim to 
northeastern America because two captains in her 
employ had sailed along the coasts. 

In 1603 Champlain made his first voyage to northern 
America. His purpose was to select a good site for a 
settlement. He entered the St. Lawrence River and 
sailed up that noble stream to the Lachine Rapids. 
He could go no farther in his ship. He also followed 
a branch of the river for thirty or forty miles from its 
mouth. The dark, sullen waters, the strong current, 
the lofty cliffs, the surrounding wilderness, charmed 
Champlain. He longed to explore the forests, to find 
the beautiful lakes, and to follow the broad rivers that 
he knew must be there. 

The red men interested him, too. He visited them in 
their wigwams and talked with them as well as he could. 
His gentle courtesy won their hearts. For over thirty 
years he was the truest friend these Indians had. It is 



THE FATHER OF NEW FRANCE 



"3 




" He visited the red men in their wigwams." 



a joy to read of Champlain's kindness, after hearing of 
the cruelty of Cortes, Pizarro, and De Soto. 

Next year Champlain came to America with De 
Monts. The king had granted De Monts the American 
fur trade. He had also granted him the right to plant 
a French colony. It was thought best to seek a warmer 
region than the St. Lawrence. They coasted along 



114 SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIX 

Nova Scotia and finally settled at Port Royal on the 
Bay of Fundy. 

Champlain was not in the colony summers. He was 
away exploring. He grew familiar with the Atlantic 
coast from Xova Scotia to Vineyard Sound. The 
Bay of Fundy, ]\It. Desert Island, the rivers of Maine, 
Cape Cod, — all these dehghtful summer resorts he 
plotted on the first accurate maps of that coast. 

The colony struggled for a few years with harsh 
conditions. Then, in 1607, the Frenchmen gave up 
the unequal contest and returned to France. 

In 1608 Champlain was again sailing up the St. 
Lawrence. He came to a spot where the river suddenly 
narrows. There, on the shore, at the foot of a lofty 
cliff, he decided to make a settlement. The Indians 
called the place Quebec, which means "narrowing." 
This name Champlain gave to his little colony, — the 
first permanent settlement in New France, or Canada. 

How the men toiled that summer I One band 
chopped down trees, another sawed the timber into 
beams and planks, while still another dug cellars. The 
storehouse and other necessary buildings were erected 
in the summer. An autumn planting came in October. 
WTieat and rs^e were the crops chosen, while vines also 
were set out. 

The winter was most severe. There was lean fare 
at Quebec and gaunt famine in the neighboring Indian 
settlements. Now and then keen distress would drive 



THE FATHER OF NEW FR.\XCE 115 

the Indians to seek aid from the white men. Cham- 
plain always gave what could be spared from his o\vn 
meager supplies. 

Once a band of starving Indians tried to cross the 
St. Lawrence in canoes. The river was full of huge 




















V — .^n.— /: 



?■■■ • . . 
Stockade at Quebec. 



cakes of floating ice, dri\'en rapidly along by a fierce 
wind and a strong current. The canoes were crushed 
or capsized. The savages saved themselves by spring- 
ing upon the ice cakes. Finally they reached Quebec 
in safety. i\mong them were several squaws with 
papooses upon their backs. 

Before the end of winter, sickness broke out in Que- 
bec. Many died of scurvy. Of the twenty-eight Euro- 
peans, only eight were still alive when reenforcements 
came in the spring. 



ii6 



SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN 



The duties of Champlain as lieutenant governor were 
not severe. He had to keep order, see that the men 
were kept busy in the fields, and superintend the ship- 
ment of furs. To these Champlain added another task, 




Buying furs from the Indians. 



which appealed to him most of all. It was to explore 
this vast, mysterious, wondrous North America. 

He was a stanch friend of the Canadian Indians, — 
the Hurons, Ot'tawas, and Algon'quins. That made 
him the foe of their foes, they thought. And their 
great foes were the Iroquois (ir-o-kwoi'). 

The Iroquois were a powerful federation of Indian 
tribes who lived in central New York. The strife be- 



THE FATHER OF NEW FRANCE 117 

tween them and the Algonquins was of long stand- 
ing. Their ancestors had fought, and so they fought. 

The Algonquins proposed that Champlain and his 
men should go with them on the warpath against the 
Iroquois. The white men had guns. These would 
overwhelm their foes. They were wild with glee when 
Champlain assented. His main purpose was to ex- 
plore rivers and lakes which he had heard of but had 
not seen. 

A little party of twelve white men in a shallop, ac- 
companied by scores of Indians in their canoes, went up 
the St. Lawrence as far as the Richelieu (ree-she-looO- 
They followed the latter river until falls stopped their 
advance. The Indians had lied to Champlain ; they 
had told him there were no difficulties ahead. He 
blamed them severely, but said that he would still 
keep his word to them. 

Nine Frenchmen returned to Quebec with the shallop ; 
meanwhile Champlain and two comrades continued on 
their way with sixty Indians. In canoes they reached 
the headwaters of the Richelieu River and came out 
upon the gleaming waters of a large and beautiful lake. 
Day after day they paddled southward, skirting its 
western shore. On the left rose the Green Mountains, 
while on the right were seen the rugged Adirondacks. 

Soon they proceeded with more caution. They slept 
by day and moved southward by night. Champlain 
realized that the enemy must be close at hand. 




ii8 



THE FATHER OF NEW FRANCE ng 

At last, late one afternoon, they caught sight of a 
large company of painted braves. They were the long- 
sought Iroquois. They were gathered near a rude log 
fort which they had made. 

Each party yelled at sight of the other, but each de- 
layed the attack till morning. During the night, how- 
ever, taunts and insults flew to and fro between the 
hostile camps. 

In the morning the Algonquins proudly advanced 
to the attack. As they had hinted during the night, a 
great surprise was in store for the Iroquois. Champlain 
with his gun was posted in the midst. Warriors hid 
him from the enemy. His two comrades were at the 
right and left side of the Indian line of battle. 

The Algonquins advanced towards the enemy. 
Three Iroquois chiefs were in advance. Suddenly the 
Algonquin warriors parted. Champlain appeared. He 
took a few steps forward and aimed his gun. The 
Iroquois chiefs stared. Champlain fired and a chief 
fell dead. The other Frenchmen fired also and several 
more were killed and wounded. 

This was enough for the Iroquois ! They shrieked 
and fled into the woods, leaving all their belongings 
behind. The delighted Algonquins packed the booty 
into their canoes and set out toward home. The 
little surprise they had arranged for their foes had 
proved a complete success. More than ever did they 
pin their faith upon their French allies. 



I20 SAMUEL DE CHAMPLAIN 

Thus Champlain first saw the peaceful waters of the 
lake that was henceforth to be called by his name. 
Thus too the feud began between the French and the 
Iroquois. It was a small skirmish in the wilderness. 
But henceforth the Iroquois, the most powerful group 
of Indians in eastern America, hated the French and 
sought the Dutch and the English as allies. 

Throughout his life Champlain was untiring in his 
devotion to the interests of Quebec. Nearly every 
year he made the voyage to France on business for the 
colony; and often these were not fair-weather voyages. 

Once his vessel was surrounded by towering icebergs. 
Ice floes also hemmed it in on all sides, while fogs added 
greatly to the danger. The rigging was stiff with frost, 
and again and again the boats were made ready for all 
hands to quit the ship. Only good seamanship saved 
her. Seventy-four anxious days passed before she 
reached safe moorings in the St. Lawrence. 

Not only did Champlain found Quebec, but he also 
established Montreal. In his day, however, it was 
nothing but a trading post. Thither, in the early 
summer, the Indians thronged. They knew and trusted 
Champlain, but felt little confidence in the strange 
traders who later appeared at Montreal. 

There is very Uttle more to be told of Champlain. 
In the latter years of his governorship, he invited 
priests to come from France to convert the Indians. 
Madame Champlain, his young wife, spent a few years 



THE FATHER OF NEW FRANCE 



121 



in Quebec, and aided in the Indian mission. The Indians 
became quite fond of her. She wore, according to the 
fashion of the day, a Httle mirror as a charm. The 




"An English fleet came sailing up the St. Lawrence." 



red men loved this little trifle. They said Madame 
Champlain carried their faces on her heart. 
One day in 1628 an English fleet came sailing up the 



122 SAMUEL DE CIL\MPLAIN 

St. Lawrence. England and France were at war in 
Europe, and now Captain Kirk called for the surrender 
of Quebec. 

The little settlement was quite unprepared for siege. 
The men were few in number, and the provisions were 
low. No supply ships had come for over a year. 

Champlain, however, returned a gallant reply. He 
refused the demand for surrender so stout-heartedly 
that the English feared to attack, and soon with- 
drew. 

Then followed a starving winter. "We ate our peas 
by count," the governor wrote; and, after all, Quebec 
had to surrender. In the summer of 1629 Kirk tried 
again, and this time was successful. But this good 
came from the plucky resistance. When peace was 
made, all territory the English had won in 1628 was 
retained; what was won in 1629 was returned. Had 
Champlain not resisted. Old France would have lost 
New France forever. 

As it was, Champlain returned to spend the last two 
years of his life in his beloved Quebec. He died on 
Christmas Day in 1635. 

He was one of the most remarkable Frenchmen of 
his day, and richly earned his title of Father of New 
France. His was a beautiful character, — -"devout 
and high-minded, brave and tender." 



THE STORY OF HENRY HUDSON 

The story of Henry Hudson is the story of four voy- 
ages. They were made in four successive years, — 
1607, 1608, 1609, and 1 6 10. 

Before 1607 we know hardly anything of Hudson. It 
is believed that he was a native of London. It is also 
believed that he was grandson of one of the founders 
of the Muscovy Company. This company had for its 
aim trade with the East. 

The hope of finding a shorter passage to India and 
China was still alive in the hearts of merchant princes. 
It had led Columbus westward in 1492 ; now, after 
more than one hundred years, it was still a will-o'-the- 
wisp to be reckoned with. It still beckoned to dan- 
gerous enterprises. 

The journey to India around the Cape of Good Hope 
was long and expensive; so was the journey by way of 
Cape Horn or the Strait of Magellan, which was, be- 
sides, barred by the Spaniards. A shorter route found 
to the northeast or northwest would put money into the 
treasury of the Muscovy and other trading companies. 

Henry Hudson was known as a daring navigator. 
His energy, his skill, his courage, had been proved. 

Under the employ of the Muscovy Company, he 

123 



124 HENRY HUDSON 

made two voyages to the northeast in 1607 and 1608. 
These voyages proved that it was impossible to reach 
India in this direction. But new and interesting 
facts about Arctic regions were brought back by Hud- 
son, He had also sighted the island of Spitzbergen 
and had seen multitudes of whales in the waters near 
it. As English ships immediately turned their attention 
to this new fishing field, Hudson may be called the father 
of whale fisheries at Spitzbergen. 

Because of Hudson's reports, the Muscovy Company 
ceased explorations and devoted itself to whaling. 

But the Dutch East India Company had been in- 
terested in Henry Hudson's voyages. In the spring of 
1609 they employed him for another voyage to the 
Arctic. " He was to think of discovering no other routes 
or passages except the route around by the north side 
of Nova Zembla." 

He sailed on the sixth of April in the Half Moon, a 
vessel of eighty tons. He had a mixed crew of sixteen 
men. Part were English and part were Dutch. 

Just a month from the day of sailing, they passed 
the North Cape. This grim sentry must have been a 
familiar landmark by this time to Henry Hudson. 
The Half Moon now bore away steadily to the east, 
heading for Nova Zembla. But the men began to 
grumble. The cold was intense ; the sea was very 
lonely. Soon the grumbling changed to actual rebel- 
lion. 



THE STORY OF HENRY HUDSON 



125 



Then Hudson decided to change his route, in spite of 
his definite orders to proceed to Nova Zembla. He 
presented two possible courses to his crew. They might 




The Half Moon. 

sail west to Davis Strait, off the southwest coast of 
Greenland, and explore from there. The other plan 
was even bolder. They might sail to the North 
American coast and there seek for a passage westward, 



126 HENRY HUDSON 

somewhat to the north of Virginia. Many people in 
those days believed that northern America was a narrow 
land, and that a strait might lead through it. 

Davis Strait offered a climate as arctic as Nova Zem- 
bla. The North American strait would have a milder 
temperature. With one accord the men declared for 
North America. 

Hudson was a daring man to disobey his orders 
flatly. He was bound to succeed, now that he was 
acting for himself. That passage must be found. 

It was a cold and stormy westward voyage. The 
crew, chilled to the bone, quarreled constantly. 

They passed near the Grand Banks of Newfound- 
land. There they saw French vessels hard at work 
fishing, but the Half Moon did not greet them. Euro- 
pean nations were not overcordial in the New World. 

But Hudson's ship was in need of repairs. All were 
glad to put into Penobscot Bay. Here they stayed 
for a week mending sails, strengthening the mast, and 
feasting on cod and lobsters. 

Nine days later they landed at Cape Cod. They 
found it a pleasant spot in August, for grapes and wild 
roses were abundant. 

Soon after this, Hudson began his search for the strait. 
On the 3d of September his hopes were high. He had 
entered New York Bay. The scenery was lovely and 
all were delighted with the noble hills, the deep water, 
and the large and delicious fish. 



THE STORY OF HENRY HUDSON 127 

But what pleased Hudson more than all else was 
the discovery of a broad stretch of water entering the 




Mending the Half Moon's sails. 

bay on the north. This, of course, might be a river, 
but it might also be the long-sought-for strait. Hope 
whispered to Hudson that he was on the eve of success. 



128 HENRY HUDSON 

On September 12 he set out to explore the beautiful 
river that now bears his name. Think of seeing the 
wonderful Palisades and Catskills for the first time ! 
At each fresh bend a new beauty appeared. A great 
curiosity laid hold of ev^ry heart as the ship pressed 
onward where never white man had sailed before. 

By night they anchored, and the lights of the Half 
Moon "formed the one gleam of life in the silent ex- 
panse of river and forest." 

At the end of six days they had reached a spot near 
Albany. Here they paused to make some slight re- 
pair. A boat was sent northward and returned with 
sad news for Hudson. The stream grew narrower and 
shallower the farther it went. Above all, the water 
was fresh. 

There could no longer be any doubt. They were 
following a great river, and could find no westward 
strait on this voyage. With a heavy heart, Hudson 
gave the word to return. 

Hudson had failed, but his voyage was a fruitful one 
for Holland. Because he had first found the noble 
Hudson, the Dutch claimed a wide region in the New 
World. Fur-bearing animals were abundant here, ac- 
cording to Hudson. Dutch vessels hastened to the 
scene, and a profitable trade in skins grew up almost 
immediately. 

This third voyage of Henry Hudson is the most im- 
portant one to us Americans. But I believe you are 



THE STORY OF HENRY HUDSON 129 

interested enough in the bold Arctic adventurer to 
wish to hear of his fourth and last voyage. 

In April, 16 10, he sailed on the Discovery, on an- 
other quest for a westward passage. The Muscovy 
Company were again his employers. His previous 
voyages had made him sure that there was no such 
passage to the south of Newfoundland. His next 
venture would be in the far northwest. 

His crew again was a company of rough, grumbling 
men. They reached Greenland, but were unable to land 
on account of the ice. Finally they entered a broad west- 
ward passage which is known to-day as Hudson Strait. 
This channel led into a vast bay. As Hudson gazed on 
the wide waters, he felt sure that his life's work was 
completed, that the short way to the Pacific was found. 

But he must be able to prove it to the world. With 
the exact patience of the scientist he began to explore 
the shores. For four months he followed the eastern 
coast southward. October found the Discovery in 
James Bay. Here Hudson decided to winter. The 
vessel was hauled aground and soon was frozen in. 

There is no doubt that Hudson by this time was most 
unpopular. He was so wrapped up in his purpose that 
he often acted unwisely. Once the explorers came 
across an Eskimo's storehouse. It was full of fowls 
hanging by the neck, — a fine winter supply. The 
crew wished to secure this for themselves, but their 
leader refused to stop for it. 



I30 



HENRY HUDSON 



Another time the Discovery had been anchored for 
eight days on account of stormy weather. Finally 
Hudson, impatient at losing precious time, decided to 
move on. He ordered up the anchor against the re- 
monstrances of the crew. They obeyed reluctantly. 
Immediately their fears were justified. A sea struck 
the vessel, the anchor was lost, and a few men were 
thrown down and hurt. Murmurings began among 
them. 

During the long winter in James Bay the men suffered 
from intense cold. Many had their feet frozen, and 
one man died. The supply of game was fortunately 
large. The explorers killed and ate one hundred dozen 
ptarmigans. But at times they were in such straits 
that they ate Arctic moss. One man wrote of the moss 
as follows : "I take the powder of a post to be much the 
better." 

In June the Discovery moved into open water. But 
milder weather and the hope of a fresh start had no 
effect upon the men. They had done with Hudson as 
leader. Their one longing was for England, and they 
knew that he would insist on further study of this 
ghastly sea. 

They were ready to mutiny on the slightest pretext. 
It came when Henry Hudson began to divide the scanty 
food. They shouted that he had kept much more than 
his share for himself, and they seized and bound him. 

Then they placed him and his young son and six 



THE STORY OF HENRY HUDSON 



131 



seamen in a small boat which was to be set adrift. 

The carpenter proved himself a fine, honest man. 

When he found 

what the crew had 

determined to do, 

he threw in his lot 

with Hudson. He 

showed presence of 

mind also in taking 

with him a musket, 

some powder and 

shot, a few pikes, 

an iron pot, and a 

little meal. 

Thus the little 
boatload was cast 
away with certain 
death staring them 
in the face. What 
an end to ambitious 

Henry Hudson, " The little boatload was cast away." 

who believed he was on the eve of brilliant success ! A 
ship was sent from England the next year to search for 
him, but nothing was ever learned of his fate. We leave 
him adrift on " that vast inland sea that was at once his 
tomb and his monument." 




JOHN SMITH, THE FOUNDER OF VIRGINIA 

In 1580 there was born in England a wonderful man. 
His name was John Smith. He had a nature so bold 
and vigorous that adventures seemed to seek him out. 
Even from his boyhood, wherever he went, things 
happened. 

When a youth of sixteen, he went to the Netherlands 
and joined the Dutch in fighting against the Spaniards. 
Here he spent three years, learning much in this fine 
school of arms. 

At nineteen he decided to return home, and on the 
way suffered shipwreck. 

John Smith did not remain long in England. Affairs 
were too quiet there. He decided to go to eastern 
Europe, where the Christians and Turks were at war. 
There he became a soldier in the Christian army. His 
experience in Holland made him very useful to his com- 
mander. Soon he was promoted. He was Captain 
John Smith. 

Once the Christians were besieging the Turks in a 
city. One Turk challenged any Christian captain to 
single combat. Many captains were eager to go, but 
Smith, with his usual luck, drew the lot. 

The city walls were crowded with ladies. Both 

132 



THE FOUNDER OF VIRGINIA 



■^33 



armies looked on with interest. The Turk appeared 
with three servants, — one to carry his lance, the other 
two to lead his horse. Smith had but one attendant. 

The fight was brief. Smith overthrew his enemy 
with the lance and 
then cut off his 
head. Loud were 
the rejoicings in 
the Christian camp. 

The Turks did 
not wish the tri- 
umph to be with 
the Christians. A 
second Turk, a 
friend of the man 
whom Smith had 
slain, challenged 
him. If Smith 
were conquered, 
he was to give up 
the head of the first 




John Smith slays the Turk. 



Turk, Smith, however, won this combat also and cut 
off the head of the second Turk. , 

Then Smith thought he would challenge the Turks 
in his turn. The Turk who took up the challenge had 
his choice of weapons. He chose battle-axes. They 
fought as before, in sight of both armies. 

Smith was at times in great danger, for his new foe 



134 CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH 

was strong and skillful. At last Smith's ax flew from 
his hand. He dodged a blow from the Turk, whipped 
out his sword, and ran him through. 

The commander gave Smith the right to have three 
Turks' heads on his coat of arms. 

Some time after this a great battle was fought be- 
tween the two armies. Captain John Smith was 
wounded and left on the battle field. The Turks often 
killed the common soldiers who were found on the 
battle field. But Captain John Smith was richly 
dressed. So they took him prisoner. 

Later he was sold as a slave. His master fastened 
a spiked iron collar about his neck, and set him at work 
threshing grain in a remote building on his estate. 
Think of such a plight for a proud young man like 
Smith ! 

The master sometimes came to watch Smith at his 
work. Often he jeered at him, and one day he beat 
him. That was too much for Smith. He caught up 
his flail and struck his master a blow on the head which 
killed him. 

Smith was now in danger; but he acted promptly. 
He dressQjd himself in his master's clothes, mounted 
his horse, and rode away. Not knowing the roads, he 
wandered about for a day or two. 

At length he came to a crossroad with a guidepost. 
One of the arms bore the sign of the cross, "x^t last !" 
thought Smith, "this leads to a Christian land." 




THE FOUNDER OF VIRGINIA 135 

On and on he rode for days. At last he came into 
Russia. There he told of his misfortunes as a slave to 
the Turks. The Rus- 
sians were sorry for 
him, and the ugly collar 
was struck from his 
neck. 

He returned to Eng- 
land in the nick of 
time. A company of 
Englishmen were about 
sailing to plant a colony 
in America. Here was 
a part of the world 
Smith had not seen. Here was a bold enterprise for 
king and country. He would take a hand in it. 

No one knew it, but the fate of the new colony de- 
pended upon the decision of this keen-eyed, vigorous 
young soldier of twenty-six. 

The ruler of England was now James the First. He 
had given a large tract of country in America to a 
group of men called the London Company. It was 
the business of this Company to plant colonies in the 
New World. Sir Walter Raleigh and others had tried 
and failed sadly. Much was now hoped from this new 
venture. 

On December 19, 1606, three ships set sail. They 
were the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Dis- 



The Susan Constant. 



136 



CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH 




The Discovery. 



covery. They carried one hundred and five planters 
and a crew of thirty-nine. The Susan Constant was 

commanded by Christo- 
pher Newport, the 
admiral of the little 
fleet. The Godspeed 
was commanded by 
Bartholomew Gosnold, 
a captain who had 
made many discoveries 
in America. The 
Discovery was com- 
manded by John Rat- 
cliffe, of whom we shall hear more later. 

It was a long voyage, for it was not until April 26, 1607, 
that they came in sight 
of Virginia. The first 
point of land was a cape 
at the entrance to Ches- 
apeake Bay. The Eng- 
lishmen named it Cape 
Henry, after the eldest 
son of James I. The op- 
posite cape later received 
the name of Charles, 

after the second son. The Godspeed. 

At the time of sailing a box had been placed on board. 
In this box were the names of those who were to govern 




THE FOUNDER OF VIRGINIA 



137 



the colony. On the evening of April 26 the box was 
opened and the list read. Christopher Newport, 
Bartholomew Gosnold, John Ratcliffe, John Smith, 
and Edward Wingfield were five of the seven men named 
by the king. 

John Smith had fallen into trouble on the voyage. 
His colleagues were jealous of his military glory; his 
temper, moreover, 
was at times fiery. 
The result was 
that Smith was im- 
prisoned at the time 
when the party first 
sighted the low 
Virginian shores. 

The other six 
leaders refused to 
permit Smith to sit 
with them and vote. 
Smith was determined to have his rights and demanded 
a trial. This was granted some six weeks later. Smith 
was declared innocent and then given the right to work 
with the other councilors. 

The ships entered Chesapeake Bay and sailed up one 
of its large rivers. This river they called the James, in 
honor of their king. About fifty miles from the mouth of 
the James River they came upon a low-lying peninsula. 
Should they settle here? Gosnold and Wingfield dis- 




Smith was imprisoned.' 



CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH 



agreed. Gosnold thought the place low and unhealthful. 
Wingfield pointed out how readily it could be defended 
by fortifications built across the narrow neck. Another 
advantage was the great depth of water in the river. 
Even close to the shore the water was six fathoms deep. 




" The settlers went promptly to work." 

To-day we know that Gosnold was right. In 1607, 
however, Wingfield won the argument. The English 
landed here on May 13, and Jamestown was estab- 
lished. Wingfield was chosen governor. The settlers 
went promptly to work, building houses and a fort. 

Captain Newport was soon to sail to England for 
fresh supplies. His duty was to explore the neighbor- 



THE FOUNDER OF VIRGINIA 139 

hood. It would be an advantage to the London Com- 
pany to know of the mountains and rivers of Virginia. 
It would also be a service to the new colony to dis- 
cover what friends or foes were near them. With 
Captain Newport went John Smith and twenty-two 
others. 

During a short sail up the James River they found 
several Indian villages of the Powhatan' tribe. The 
explorers were treated kindly everywhere, and often 
feasts were spread for them in the Indian villages. 
Roasted deer, turkeys, turkeys' eggs, corn, beans, and 
strawberries delighted the travelers. 

The most important chief of the Powhatan In- 
dians was known as the Powhatan. The explorers 
were told much about him. He was chief over a large 
tract of country, but his principal village was Wero- 
woco'moco, twenty miles north of Jamestown. 

The white men and the Powhatan Indians along the 
James agreed solemnly that they would always be 
friends. Beads and other trinkets were distributed, to 
the delight of the Indians. 

The Englishmen, in their little shallop, had now 
reached the headwaters of the James. Their way was 
barred by rapids. Accordingly they set up a wooden 
cross with their king's name and the date to mark the 
spot. 

The cross troubled the Indians. Newport, however, 
explained that the two arms of the cross were the Indian 



I40 



CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH 



chief and himself, while the central shaft marked their 
union in friendship. With this reading of the riddle 
the savages were well content. 




Newport explains the meaning of the cross. 

Jamestown welcomed the return of Newport and 
Smith. The day before, the settlement had been at- 
tacked by two hundred Indians of another tribe. Led 
by Governor Wingfield, the settlers had beaten them 



THE FOUNDER OF VIRGINIA 



141 



off. Twelve white men had been wounded, and two 
afterwards died. 

In June, 1607, Newport sailed for home. The 
Susan Constant was loaded with cedar and sassafras. 
The Company had expected gold and precious stones, 
but none had been found. 

Newport hoped to return with food in twenty weeks' 
time. He left behind supplies for only fifteen weeks. 
The colonists were at once put on short rations, and 
began to suffer. 

The bulk of the colonists were gentlemen, — men 
who had had no training in hard manual labor. They 
were quite unequal to toil in the fields under a blazing 
southern sun. Malaria broke out, and the sickness 
was increased, not only by the heat, but also by the 
scanty food. A half pint of wheat and a half pint of 
barley, boiled with water, was a man's portion for a 
day. Moreover, much of the grain was spoiled on 
account of having been stored for so long in the ship's 
hold. 

Who can be surprised that half the settlers had died 
by the end of September ? 

In this emergency Smith came more and more to 
the front. His fellows came to lean on his judgment 
and firm will. He had been ill himself, but soon we 
find him able to nurse the other sick. Next, he is 
scouring the country, securing food from the Indians. 
With wonderful insight into Indian nature, he rarely 



142 CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH 

made a mistake. He saw just when he should coax 
the savages, and when he should frighten them, to 
carry out his purpose. 

Meanwhile where was the governor ? He had shown 
himself so unfit for ofhce that he had been deposed in 
September. John Ratcliffe had been elected in his 
place. But as a matter of fact John Smith was really 
"the man of the hour." 

The late fall brought cooler weather, and the health 
of the settlement mended. WUd fowl were shot, and 
the men's food was improved. Newport must soon 
return, and Smith was anxious to have more facts 
about Virginia to set before him. Therefore he 
started to explore the Chickahom'iny River. Nine 
white men and two Indians went with him. 

The river grew shallower, and Smith, leaving seven 
men with the large boat, went on in a canoe. His crew 
consisted of two white men and two Indians. 

With one Indian guide he started to explore the for- 
est, telling the men in the canoe to fire a gun in case of 
danger. Suddenly a distant shot came to Smith's ears. 
He turned on his guide and tied the Indian's arm to his 
own. "If you are false to me, I will shoot you," he 
cried. 

The Indian swore he was true to Smith, and urged 
him to fly. At this moment a flight of arrows fell 
around them. At a distance, slowly closing in on 
them, appeared some Indians. Smith held his Indian 



THE FOUNDER OF VIRGINIA 



143 



guide before him as a shield. He used his pistols again 
and again. 

It seemed at one time as though they might escape. 
But in moving backward Smith fell into a swamp. His 




John Smith shows his compass to the Indians. 

Indian friend tried to pull him out, but he fell in too. 
Smith saw then that he must surrender. 

He threw away his weapons, and the Indians drew 
him from the swamp and took him before their chief. 

This Indian brave gave orders for Smith to be put 
to death. But Smith thought of a little ivory compass 



144 CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH 

that he wore. He drew it forth and began to explain 
its working to the chief. The brave was charmed. He 
questioned Smith, until the Englishman had told all he 
knew of the movements of the sun, moon, and stars. 

Then the Indians changed their minds about Smith. 
They began to feast him, bringing him food enough for 
ten men. But John Smith was not deceived. He 
knew that he was being prepared for torture. And at 
length the day came. 

He was marched into the great hall of the Powhatan. 
The chief sat on his throne with a young squaw on each 
side. His braves stood in double lines along the sides 
of the hall. Behind them were two rows of women. All 
had their faces and necks painted red. Chains of white 
shells hung about their necks, and white feathers were 
in their hair. 

A stone was placed before the Powhatan. Captain 
John Smith was stretched on the ground with his head 
on the stone. Two men with clubs drew near to beat 
out his brains. 

The clubs were raised. Smith drew what he thought 
was his last breath, when suddenly a child of thirteen 
flung herself beside him, clasped his head in her arms, 
and laid her own head upon his. 

The little maiden was Pocahon'tas, the daughter of 
the Powhatan. The executioners turned to the Pow- 
hatan. He raised his hand, and Smith's life was saved. 

Smith did not understand the deed of Pocahontas 



THE FOUNDER OF VIRGINIA 



145 



at the time. It was, however, an Indian law that any 
one in the tribe could save the life of a prisoner whose 
appearance or whose bravery pleased him. The person 
thus saved was afterwards adopted into the tribe. 
Thus the warm-hearted child had saved the soldierly 




" Suddenly Pocahontas flung herself beside him." 

young paleface. From this moment Pocahontas was 
the firm friend of the English. 

Shortly after Smith's return home, Newport sailed 
up the James, bringing one hundred and twenty new 
colonists. They were much needed, for now there were 
but thirty-eight left of the first band. 

Provisions often ran short, but the settlers got 
through the winter with the help of Pocahontas. She 

COE F. — 10 



146 CAPTAIN JOHX SIMITH 

often brought corn, and sometimes venison and rac- 
coons. 

In April, 1608, Newport sailed again for England. His 
cargo consisted of sassafras, cedar posts, walnut boards, 
and iron ore. There was also on board a coop of plump 
turkeys. These were the first ever eaten in England. 

After Newport's departure the colonists were again 
on a low diet. Meal and water was their chief food. 

The summer was spent by Captain Smith in exploring 
Virginia. He cruised around the shores of Chesapeake 
Bay and explored the Potomac, the Rappahannock, and 
the Susquehanna rivers. He then drew a map of 
Virginia so exact that it is a marvel. It was used as 
late as 1873 to settle a boundary question between 
Maryland and Virginia. 

In September the colonists deposed Ratcliffe, and 
made Smith governor. Now, with a man at the helm, 
matters began to mend. Smith made even the lazy 
work. He divided the settlement into squads of ten 
or fifteen, and insisted on six hours' work a day. The 
church was repaired, the storehouse covered, and maga- 
zines built. Corn was obtained from the Indians. 

By April, 1609, the colony was in a flourishing con- 
dition. Twenty houses had been built, thirty acres of 
ground had been planted, and a well of pure water had 
been dug in the fort. Nets and weirs were in use in 
the river, and a new fort had been begun upon a com- 
manding hill. 



THE FOUNDER OF VIRGINIA 147 

In the summer word came from England of changes. 
Lord Delaware had been made governor of Virginia 
for life. Nine ships had set sail for Jamestown. In 
August, seven of the nine ships arrived. 

Lord Delaware had not yet come, and Captain John 
Smith determined to continue as governor. Nearly 
every one saw it to be best for the colony. 

But alas, his service to Virginia was nearly over ! 
An explosion of gunpowder injured him seriously. It 
was necessary for him to go to England for treatment. 

Then, with John Smith gone, we see clearly what he 
had been to the colony. In six months' time but sixty 
of the five hundred souls left by Smith remained alive. 
Many were so weak they could scarcely totter, while 
others had lost their reason. Some had died of cold, 
some had been killed by Indians, while many had died 
of hunger in the "starving time " that spring. So great 
was the famine that a few had eaten human flesh. 

A similar fate would have befallen the colonists 
earlier, had it not been for the wisdom and energy of one 
man, — John Smith. 

In June, 16 10, the poor little handful gave up the 
fight with such odds. They left Jamestown to the 
wilderness and started down the James River on their 
way to England. At its mouth they were amazed 
to meet a ship's boat of Englishmen. The news was 
that three ships, bringing the new governor and many 
colonists, were entering Chesapeake Bay. 



148 CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH 

With new hope, the party returned. As Lord Dela- 
ware stepped from his boat upon the soil of the New 
World, he fell on his knees and gave thanks to God that 
he had come in time to save Virginia. 

But what of Smith, the first savior of the English 
colony ? 

The rest of his life was less eventful. He drew maps 
and wrote accounts that are read eagerly to-day. 
He also made several trips to New England. 

He saw his friend Pocahontas once more. She grew 
up to be a woman of dignity and sweet character. 
She became the wife of John Rolfe, an Englishman, and 
came to England to visit the land of her husband. 
She was looked upon as a king's daughter and was 
called the Lady Rebecca. 

When Smith spoke to her by that name, she was 
not pleased. "Oh, Father," she cried, "call me your 
child. You always did at home. Why should you 
change now?" 

Captain John Smith died in 1631. He will always be 
"a great and commanding figure in American history." 

Could we have returned to Virginia seventy years 
after John Smith and others had settled Jamestown, 
we should have found a large and prosperous colony 
which contained neither cities nor towns. Jamestown 
was still the capital, and Jamestown consisted of but a 
church, a state house, and eighteen or twenty houses. 



THE FOUNDER OF VIRGINIA 149 

There were plenty of people in Virginia, but they did 
not live in Jamestown. Their estates were scattered 
along the shores of the many rivers. They grew tobacco, 
and were called planters. As tobacco is a crop that does 
best in new soil, the planters nee'ded wide plantations, 
so that they could give new fields to it every few years. 

The early settlers had begun by raising wheat and 
Indian corn as well as tobacco. The latter crop, how- 
ever, was raised so easily and paid so well that it soon 
crowded out nearly all other crops. Just enough 
cereals and vegetables were raised to meet the needs of 
the planters for their own tables. The raising of to- 
bacco prevented manufacturing and other forms of in- 
dustry. Great quantities of tobacco were shipped to 
England, and the value of this export increased from 
year to year. 

Tobacco was used as money as early as 1619. Taxes, 
fines, and salaries were often paid in pounds of tobacco. 

The tobacco was raised, gathered, and prepared for 
the market by slaves. These were both white and 
black. The blacks were slaves for life; the whites for 
only a term of years. 

It may seem strange to you that there should be 
white slaves. It came about in this way. Certain 
very poor people would sell themselves for a number 
of years, to get money with which to pay their passage 
to Virginia. Sometimes boys and girls were kidnapped 
in London and sent to Virginia to be sold in the same 



I50 CAPTAIN JOHN SMITH 

way. Criminals were also shipped to the colonies as 
slaves for seven or fourteen years. These persons 
were often dangerous characters. 

The first negro slaves in Virginia were brought there 
by a Dutch man-of-war in 1619. There were but 
twenty of them. It was long before black slaves be- 
came numerous in the colony. As the culture of 
tobacco increased, however, more and more slaves were 
brought from Africa to labor on the plantations. 
After 1650 their numbers multiplied rapidly. 

During the first seventy years of the Virginian 
colony, two serious Indian uprisings occurred, — one in 
1622, and the other in 1676. 

After the death of the chief Powhatan, the friend of 
Captain John Smith, the savages became jealous of the 
increasing power and numbers of the whites. The 
English also grew confident and careless. Quarrels 
between the white and red men were frequent. 

The Indians plotted an attack, and on March 22, 
1622, they fell suddenly upon the English and slew 
three hundred and forty-seven persons, among them 
women and little children. The shock was so great 
that some planters gave up their plantations; many 
settlers returned to England ; and only 2500 persons 
were left, where there had been 4000. It was a crush- 
ing blow; but the Indians were soon conquered, and 
before long Virginia was growing rapidly again. 



THE FOUNDER OF VIRGINIA 151 

Another great Indian rising came when Sir William 
Berkeley was governor of Virginia. Berkeley was most 
unpopular with the people. 

In the spring of 1676 the Indians rose and began to 
kill whites on the frontiers and even to wipe out whole 
plantations. Stories of torture inflicted on some of the 
prisoners made Virginian blood run cold. The colonists 
called upon the governor to take immediate action. 
Many were eager to be led against the Indians. 

In this crisis Berkeley acted very strangely. He did 
not find them a leader and he did not permit them to 
depart. It was said that he had two reasons. One 
was that he had a profitable fur trade with these very 
Indians and wished to keep on good terms with them. 
The other reason was that he scented a possible danger 
to himself in arming so many people. Most of the people 
were dissatisfied.. Who could tell what they might do? 

In this crisis Nathaniel Bacon, a handsome and 
talented young planter, came to the front. He was 
indignant at the state of affairs and said that if the 
Indians harmed any of the people on his plantation, he 
would lead the Virginians himself. 

Shortly after this his favorite overseer was killed. 
Bacon promptly applied to the governor for permission 
to lead an army against the Indians. Berkeley refused. 

About five hundred men were willing to march 
against the Indians if they could have a leader. News 
of fresh butcheries by the red men came to their ears. 



IS2 



VIRGINIA 



Bacon could delay no longer. Flinging caution to the 
winds, he led the colonists against their enemies, with 
success. 

Governor Berkeley promptly declared Bacon a rebel 
and sent men to arrest him. There was civil war in 




" Bacon led the colonists against their enemies." 

Virginia for a few weeks, Bacon leading one party and 
Berkeley the other. In the midst of all the discord, 
Bacon made a second campaign against the Indians. 

He did wonders in the space of four weeks. By his 
efforts the hostile tribes were crushed. The Virginia 
settlers now could breathe freely once more. 



MILES STANDISH, CAPTAIN OF PLYMOUTH 

Miles in name, leagues in valor, and but a few inches in 
stature. — John Lothrop Motley. 

We have seen how one man saved the colony at 
Jamestown. New England owes as much to Captain 
Miles Standish as Virginia does to Captain John Smith. 
Without such leaders, the settlements would have 
been failures. 

Little is known of the early life of Standish. He was 
born in the rugged north of England in 1584. His 
father was heir to large estates of which he had been 
deprived by fraud. Some young men might have let 
this fact spoil their lives ; they might have wasted 
their youth in idling about the court, seeking to make 
friends with the rich and great who might help them 
regain their lost lands. But not so Miles Standish. 
His aim was to 

" act, act in the living present." 

At eighteen he determined to go to Flanders to fight 
against the Spaniards. The Dutch were holding the 
city of Ostend against them, and Queen Elizabeth of 
England was helping the Dutch. 

The friends of Standish did not wish him to go as an 

153 



154 MILES STANDISH 

ordinary soldier. They secured for him the position 
of Heutenant. Let us see what the young officer looked 
like. "A young man of eighteen, perhaps not more 
than four feet six inches in height, a chubby face still, 
a little brown hair on the upper lip and chin, fine large 
dark-blue eyes with hot temper flashing in the cor- 
ners — ^" this is the little lieutenant who served Eliza- 
beth. Some might laugh at his size, but a second glance 
at his firm and honest face would assure them that here 
was every inch a man. 

Miles Standish fought well in the long siege of Os- 
tend, which lasted for over three years. WTien the 
town surrendered, a long truce was declared. During 
these peaceful years Captain Standish was engaged in 
garrison duty. 

He was stationed at several posts and at last was 
sent to Leyden (li''den). Among the new acquaint- 
ances he now made was a certain John Robinson. 
Robinson was a serious man some ten years older than 
Standish. The two soon became fast friends. 

Robinson introduced Standish to dear friends of his. 
They were William Brewster, William Bradford, 
Edward Winslow, and others. In time Miles came to 
know all the Pilgrims, as they called themselves. 

The Pilgrims were a company of English people liv- 
ing in Leyden. They had left England because there 
they were not permitted to worship God as they wished. 
The English law was unjust. In Holland they had 



CAPTAIN OF PLYMOUTH 



155 



found the freedom of worship they sought. Here they 
could hve in peace. 

Years passed by and a spirit of unrest began to dis- 
turb the Pilgrims. Their children were growing up to 
speak the Dutch tongue ; year by year they were less 




4 "ftfif \:z4 -4, 



A 



f 






A ^ 







A street in Leyden. 

and less English in thought. This must not be. More- 
over, war was soon to begin again between the Spaniards 
and the Dutch. 

These were some of the reasons that made the Pil- 
grims wish to seek another home. Their plans were 
bold. They decided to establish their new home in 
America. The long ocean voyage, the harsh shores, 
the fierce savages, were forgotten as they faced their 



156 MILES STANDISH 

exalted purpose, — a free church and a free state for 
themselves and their children. Who would not greatly 
dare in such a cause ? 

John Robinson saw that the company needed a good 
soldier to protect them against the Indians. He pro- 
posed Captain Standish for the post. Many shook 
their heads, — for Standish was not a member of their 
church. Still Robinson urged and at last prevailed. 
Thus it came to pass that the peppery little captain 
was to play sheep dog to this flock. 

How came Miles Standish to go ? There were two 
reasons: first, the wild life in a new country looked 
attractive to him ; and second, he liked the Pilgrims 
and believed that he could serve them. It seemed his 
duty to go. 

Accordingly, he embarked in the Speedwell, which 
carried a goodly number of the Pilgrims to England. 
There they were joined by the Mayflower, a larger ship 
than the Speedwell. The Mayflower brought other Pil- 
grims, and on August 15, 1620, the two vessels set sail. 

They had gone but a short distance when the Speed- 
well sprang a leak. They put into an English port to 
refit. About a week later they set sail again. For 
three hundred miles all went well. Then dangerous 
leaks again appeared in the Speedwell. There was 
nothing to do but to return once more. 

The truth was, that the captain of the Speedwell 
was a coward. He did not relish the undertaking, and 



CAPTAIN OF PLYMOUTH 



157 



SO disabled his ship. Some of the Pilgrims were dis- 
heartened and remained behind. Others crowded into 
the Mayflower. Her freight was one hundred souls as 
she faced the great Atlantic waves for the third time. 

It was a cold, bleak voyage of sixty-three days. The 
Pilgrims were at one time in great danger. A storm 




The Mayflower in a storm. 

caused one of the main timbers of the Mayflower to 
bend threateningly. No remedy seemed at hand, when 
one of the passengers remembered that he had among 
his stores a large jackscrew. This was at once used, and 
thus all these precious lives were saved. 

The Pilgrims had wished to settle near the Delaware 
River. But they had been driven far to the north, and 
the first land they sighted was Cape Cod. The ship's 



158 MILES STANDISH 

captain and the crew refused to go on to the Delaware, 
so the Pilgrims saw they must find a home in this region. 

On November 11, 1620, two days after they had 
sighted land, a compact was signed in the cabin of the 
Mayflower. All the men, forty-one in number, wrote 
their names upon this important paper. By this they 
pledged themselves faithfully to keep what laws should 
be made. This compact marks the beginning of a free 
state. At the same time John Carver was chosen 
governor for one year. 

For five weeks the Pilgrims stayed on shipboard. 
During this time Miles Standish led several expeditions 
to find a good place in which to settle. These were no 
fair-weather trips. The shallop offered little protec- 
tion. It was now winter. The weather was severe 
and the seas were tempestuous. On land the explorers 
sometimes lost their way in the forests. Always there 
was danger from the red men. 

At last, in the latter part of December, Captain 
Standish found Plymouth. The bay seemed excellent ; 
there were streams and wooded hills. Altogether the 
site appeared promising. The little company hastened 
back to the Mayflower with the good news. 

On December 21, 1620, the Pilgrim Fathers landed 
at Plymouth. And this event is now honored every 
year by the celebration of Forefathers' Day.^ 

' On account of a mistake in reckoning the change from Old Style to New 
Style, the celebration is usually held on December 22 instead of December 2 1 . 



CAPTAIN OF PLYMOUTH 159 

"The breaking waves dashed high 
On a stern and rock-bound coast ; 
And the woods against a stormy sky 
Their giant branches tossed. 

"And the heavy night hung dark 
The hills and waters o'er, 
When a band of exiles moored their bark 
On the wild New England shore." 

It was not an easy landing. Many had to wade 
ashore through the ice-cold water. This sowed the 
seeds of illness and death. But only part of the Pil- 
grims landed in December. Many women and children 
remained on the Mayflower for a few more weeks. 

At first the Pilgrims were housed under one roof. 
Miles Standish saw Indians watching them from the 
forest, and hastened the laying of a platform on the 
hill behind the settlement. Here five cannon were 
placed with their muzzles pointing in different direc- 
tions. "Beware !" they seemed to say. 

These first days in New England were dark ones for 
the Pilgrims. They were often hungry ; they were 
cold ; and saddest of all, many fell sick and died. Little 
children, delicate women, and strong men were laid to 
rest under the snow. Full half their number died in 
this first winter. 

At one time Miles Standish, Brewster, and five other 
men were the only members of the colony able to tend 
the sick or bury the dead. Miles forgot his soldierly 



i6o MILES STANDISH 

dignity, and did whatever his big warm heart prompted 
him to do, even to cooking food and washing clothes. 

But through all this pain and sorrow, the Pilgrim 
spirit was undaunted. Brewster spoke for the whole 
band when he said: "It is not with us as with men 
whom small things can discourage or small discontent- 
ments cause to wish themselves home again." Were 
they not nearer God in New England than in Leyden 
or in England ? 

In the early spring the settlers had a surprise. The 
Indians, warned by the cannon, had kept away. On 
this day a single Indian was seen coming straight for 
the town. Men sprang to their guns and waited. 

As the red man drew near, he smiled and exclaimed, 
"Welcome, Englishmen !" 

You can imagine every one's surprise ! The name 
of this friendly Indian was Sam'oset. He had picked 
up what English he knew from some EngHsh fishermen. 

He talked with the Pilgrims for an hour, ate the little 
feast they spread for him, and then departed. 

A few days later he returned with another English- 
speaking Indian, named Squan'to. They brought great 
news. Mas'sasoit, chief of the Wampano'ags, was on 
his way to visit the Pilgrims ! He was attended by 
his brother and a hundred warriors. 

Massasoit and his band appeared, decked out in all 
their savage bravery. Their hair was oiled; their 
faces were painted in red, white, yellow, and black ; 



CAPTAIN OF PLYMOUTH 



i6i 



their dress was of deerskin. Massasoit wore a tobacco 
pouch and had a great knife hanging before his chest. 
At the edge of the settlement the chief stopped and 
asked for a hostage. Edward Winslow was sent on 
this dangerous errand. He carried with him presents. 




" The party were met by Captain Standish and his soldiers." 

There were knives and a copper chain for Massasoit, 
and similar gifts for his brother. 

The party were met by Captain Standish and his 
soldiers, who fired a salute. They then led the Indians 

COE r. — II 



1 62 MILES STANDISH 

to the chief house in the village and invited them to sit 
upon a rug and cushions. 

The governor then appeared, escorted in state. He 
and Massasoit greeted each other warmly with a kiss. 
A feast was eaten. After this a treaty of friendship 
was drawn up and signed. Massasoit then departed, 
Winslow returned, and the great occasion was over. 
This must have been a relief to both parties, for there 
were moments when both hosts and guests were most 
uneasy. 

It is an interesting fact that this treaty of 162 1 was 
never broken so long as Massasoit was alive. White 
men and red kept its terms faithfully. 

The Indian Squanto spent much of his time in Plym- 
outh. He taught the Pilgrims the best way of plant- 
ing corn. Under each hill of corn the Indians put a 
fish, for fertilizer, and thus secured a rich harvest. 
Squanto also showed the Pilgrims how to catch eels by 
treading them out of the mud with their feet. 

Another service of Squanto the Pilgrims did not 
know of for some time. He spread the news among 
the tribes of Indians that the white men owned a huge 
cask. It was called the cask of the great plague. 
When it was opened, plague and death fell upon all 
their enemies. 

It is a fact that the Indians troubled the Plym- 
outh settlers less than those in other settlements. 
Something was due to the fact that the New England 



CAPTAIN OF PLYMOUTH 



163 



Indians were not so numerous or so fierce as those in 

other sections of our country ; indeed, 

no Indians were living within ten miles 

of Plymouth. Something also was due 

to the lies of Squanto. But most of the 

glory for the safety of Plymouth should 

be given to Captain Standish. 

Standish understood the nature of the 
Indians. He knew that his friends were 
safe so long as they kept up a brave 
front and showed no signs of fear. In 
a difficult position his plan was always 
to move first. By this policy, again and 
again he "plucked victory from defeat." 
Many stories might be told to prove 
this. Let us listen to two. 

The fierce tribe of Narragansetts num- 
bered five thousand warriors. They 
were never happy except when on the 
warpath. One day two messengers 
came to Plymouth. They bore a bundle 
of arrows fastened together with a snake 
skin. It was a declaration of war from 
the Narragansetts. 

Standish and Governor Bradford re- 
turned exactly the right answer. By 
one messenger they sent this word : 
"If you love war rather than peace, you 



1 64 MILES STANDISH 

may begin as soon as you like. We fear you not." 
By the other, they returned the snake skin with a 
handful of bullets. 

This unshaken front had its effect. The tribe did 
not take the warpath. They even returned the bullets, 
which were to them unknown and dangerous objects. 

At one time there was a widespread plot to kill all 
the white men. Many chiefs had pledged themselves 
to this work. Massasoit had been asked to join and 
had hesitated. 

Soon after, news came to Plymouth that Massasoit 
was ill. The Pilgrims at once sent Edward Winslow 
and one other man with medicine and other comforts 
to the sick chief. 

They found poor Massasoit blind and helpless. Eight 
women were chafing his hands and feet. Most of the 
tribe were within the room or just outside. All were 
uttering "such a hellish noise as it distempered us that 
were well." 

When Massasoit heard of the arrival of Winslow, he 
called him to his side. 

"Art thou Winslow?" 
' "Yes." 

"0 Winslow, I shall never see thee again !" 

Winslow stated his errand, and Massasoit consented 
to try the white man's medicine. It worked wonders ; 
in a few days he could see once more. Soon he was on 
the road to recovery. 



CAPTAIN OF PLYMOUTH 165 

"The English are my friends and love me," said 
Massasoit. "While I live I shall never forget the kind- 
ness they have shown me." 

Massasoit kept his word. He told Winslow of the 
plot against the Pilgrims. He named the ringleaders 
and advised that they be seized at once. "Don't let 
the English wait to be attacked ; they must be the 
first to strike." 

This was serious news for the little colony. But Miles 
Standish acted promptly. He selected eight men to go 
with him. He was urged to take more, but he declined. 

His plan was to let the Indians think he had come to 
Massachusetts Bay on a peaceful trading trip. He suc- 
ceeded. In groups of twos and threes they came to 
look the white men over. Often they uttered threats 
and flourished their knives, even sharpening them in 
Standish's face. 

Peck'suet was the most insulting. He said to 
Standish, "Though you are a great captain, yet you 
are but a little man. Though I be no sachem, yet I 
am a man of great strength and courage." 

One day Standish, with great tact, drew Pecksuet 
and three other leading warriors into a room by them- 
selves. Then with three of his men he entered and 
locked the door. As a signal he plunged his knife into 
the breast of Pecksuet, "the man of great strength and 
courage." The other white men fought valiantly, and 
soon all four of the boastful leaders were slain. This 



i66 



MILES STANDISH 



prompt attack had its effect. The Indians were afraid, 
and gave up their plan of massacre. 

Many such stories could be told of the doughty little 
captain. ^\lways he stood ready to buckle on his har- 




Home of Miles Standish at Duxbury. 

ness for the good of the colony. Thirty-three years he 
toiled for Plymouth. 

The later years of his life were spent in Duxbury, not 
far from Plymouth. Here he owned much land, and 
here, in 1756, he died, honored and beloved by all. 



JOHN WINTHROP, BUILDER OF A FREE 

STATE 

It is a beautiful day in early April of the year 1630. 
Four vessels are leaving the English coast. The flag- 
ship is the Arbella. On the deck of the Arhella stand 
men, women, and children, shading their eyes and 
gazing over the sea. 
The vessel is sailing 
westward, but they 
are not gazing west- 
ward. Instead, 
they are straining 
their eyes to the 
east to catch the 
last glimpse of 
the rocky shores 
of Cornwall. They 
love England, their 
dear old home, and 
nearly all of them 
will never see her 
shores again. No wonder their lips tremble and their 
eyes are full of tears. 

The people on board the Arhella seem a very goodly 

167 




The Arhella 



1 68 JOHN WINTHROP 

company. There are noble-looking men, gentle, stately 
women, and sweet little children. Near the stern 
stands a man whom you look at again and again. It 
is not because he is handsome. It is rather because 
of the beautiful expression of his face. There is seen 
wisdom, great kindness, and gentleness. His two boys 
of nine and twelve stand beside him. Little Adam 
clings to his father's hand, for he loves him dearly. 
Twelve-year-old Stephen presses close to his father's 
arm, and together they look their last on old England. 

Who is this man ? He is John Winthrop, sometimes 
called the Washington of the colonial period. This 
means that, at the time when our country was being 
settled, he filled a place such as Washington filled when 
we were fighting the Revolutionary War. Winthrop 's 
face is sad as he gazes off towards the ever fainter coast 
line. What is he leaving behind ? He leaves an hon- 
ored position, a comfortable income, a beautiful old 
estate, a dear wife and children, and many true old 
friends. But more than all, he is sad because he sees 
dark days ahead for England. And he loves England, 
although he is leaving her forever. 

Forty-two years ago, in the year when Winthrop was 
born, the Spanish Armada met its great defeat. That 
was a golden year for Englishmen. How they gloried in 
good Queen Bess and the liberty she had given them! 
But times have changed since then. King Charles 
the First is trying to crush all freedom in England for- 



BUILDER OF A FREE STATE 169 

ever. But free-born Englishmen will not live under 
this yoke. Cromwell and his friends are making ready 
to draw the sword. Others who do not wish for civil 
war seek a new home elsewhere. Thus the Pilgrims 
went, first to Holland and then to Plymouth. And now 
this much larger company is crossing to Massachusetts 
Bay. 

When Winthrop thinks of America, his heart is full 
of hope. The reason is that on this very Arhella is one 
of the most precious possessions a ship ever carried 
across the Atlantic Ocean. Is it bars of gold or silver ? 
Heaps of pearls ? Tons of spice ? No, it is just a 
piece of parchment. But this same bit of parchment 
gives the members of the colony the right to govern 
themselves. They are practically free men from the 
moment they step on the new soil of America. The 
rank and file of the colony do not realize this. But 
John Winthrop and the other leaders do. That is 
why there are people of high station among the set- 
tlers. They are not all humble people like the Pil- 
grims at Plymouth. 

Before this, English companies had always kept 
their charters in England, where most of the men of 
the company lived. There the king could easily con- 
trol them. Also, charters could be withdrawn and 
destroyed. But when the king granted the Massa- 
chusetts Bay Company land in America and a charter, 
the Company acted unexpectedly. They did not send 



I70 JOHX WIXTHROP 

forth a colony; instead, they became the colony and 
carried their charter overseas themselves. The king 
would never have permitted this, had he known. 

The voyage was long, cold, and stormy. One fierce 
storm lasted ten days. There was seasickness among 
the women and children, and even among the men. 
Governor Winthrop was fully as good as a doctor. 
He had medicines that he gave to the sick, and he tended 
and cheered them with his warm sympathy. 

On the 2 2d of June the ships cast anchor in Salem 
Harbor. A poor little settlement had been made 
there two years before. The people of Salem wel- 
comed the newcomers bravely. Cannon were fired, and 
Governor Endicott of Salem came on board to welcome 
the company. 

The new arrivals did not care to settle in Salem, for 
it did not seem to them a healthful place. They ex- 
plored the neighborhood, and finally decided to go to 
Charlestown. But there they soon were troubled by 
a scarcity of water. 

Across the river lived William Blackstone, who had 
a large estate on Beacon Hill. He heard of the suf- 
ferings of Winthrop's company, and he sent a most gen- 
erous proposal to Charlestown. This was that the 
people should settle on his land, where there was a 
famous spring. Was not this a beautiful act of hos- 
pitality? Winthrop was glad to accept Blackstone's 
invitation, and a large number of his people settled upon 



BUILDER OF A FREE STATE 



171 



the land that was to become Boston. They paid 
Blackstone for the land they took, but his kindness is 

none the less to be re- 
membered. 

But there were so 
many people that they 
did not all wish to re- 
main in one place. So 
they spread out and 
settled the towns of 
Cambridge, Roxbury, 
Dorchester, and Water- 
town. 

Busy months fol- 
lowed, for homes had 
to be built for all these 
people. Then came a 
sad and terrible care. 
This was sickness. It 
was due to the discom- 
forts of the cold and 
stormy voyage, and to the poor shelter that was all 
they could provide for themselves in the early weeks 
of the settlement. 

One sweet and gentle Englishwoman who had crossed 
the sea was the Lady Arbella Johnson, "the daughter 
of an Earl." The flagship had been named for her. 
She lived only three days after reaching land. As the 







"They explored the neighborhood." 



172 JOHN WINTHROP 

preacher, John Cotton, said, "She took New England 
on her way to heaven." Her husband, Isaac Johnson, 
the wealthiest man in the colony, lived but one month 
longer. 

It was a fearful winter for the settlers. Used as 
they were to the mild seasons of Old England, New 
England seemed ferocious, as it buried them in its 
snOws and froze them with its cold. Plenty of good 
food was needed to help them through the winter. But 
instead they ate clams and mussels from the beach, 
and acorns and groundnuts from the woods. Some- 
times they had fish, and sometimes they were able 
to get a little corn from the Indians. But often the 
settlers were hungry as well as cold. "Surely the 
winter stars never looked down on a forlorner sight." 

Nine hundred came out in June, and by December no 
less than two hundred had been buried. "It may be 
said of us," wrote the deputy governor, "almost as of 
the Egyptians, that there is not a house where there is 
not one dead." 

Governor Winthrop was the life and hope of the settle- 
ment. He nursed their sick and prayed with their 
dying. He worked with his own hands, in order to 
encourage the idle to better things. As Cotton Mather 
says, "he was Joseph unto whom the whole body of 
the people repaired when their crops failed them. And 
the Lord was with him as with Joseph of old. One 
winter day he drew the last handful of meal from the 



BUILDER OF A FREE STATE 



173 



barrel to give to a poor man at the door. Where the 
next bread was to come from he knew not. And lo, 
he lifted up his eyes and beheld a ship at the harbor's 
mouth laden with 
provisions for them 
all." You can im- 
agine with what 
thankful hearts a 
day of thanksgiving 
was kept. 

The people of the 
Massachusetts Bay 
Colony were deeply 
religious. Unlike 
thePilgrimsof Plym- 
outh, they did 
not separate them- 
selves from the 
Church of England. 
They wished rather to stay in it and to purify it. 
Hence they were called Puritans. 

When the supply ship returned, one hundred faint- 
hearted people went back to their old homes in England. 
That was a large number. ' Winthrop was much dis- 
turbed. He loved his new country and hoped all 
things for it. The Massachusetts Bay Colony was to 
him as a child, and he cherished it tenderly. 

The fall of 1631 brought his dear wife Margaret, his 




" A ship at the harbor's mouth." 



174 



JOHN WINTHROP 



eldest son John, and others of his household. In all, 
a thousand people came to Massachusetts Bay in 1631, 
and as the number kept on increasing in the next few 
years, John Winthrop saw strong and flourishing towTis 
arising along the curve of Massachusetts Bay. 




The arrival of Winthrop's wife. 

When you are older and are studying government, 
you will understand more fully the wonderful service 
of Governor Winthrop to Massachusetts. But let me 
try to tell you a little very briefly. 

To begin with, he was governor twelve of the nine- 
teen years that he lived in the colony. Whenever there 
was a crisis, Winthrop was made governor to tide the 
settlers over the difficulty. 

In the second place, Winthrop held the charter for 



BUILDER OF A FREE STATE 175 

Massachusetts. Again and again it was demanded by 
those in power in England. Governor Winthrop was 
very skillful in his excuses for not sending it. Once 
the General Court of the colony met and passed a vote 
that meant plainly, "We won't give it up." The 
governor was then directed to write a letter to that 
effect. Was not this a hard task ? But Winthrop 
performed the duty with masterly wisdom and grace. 
His letter was tactful ; yet it put the matter in such 
a Hght that the other side seemed in the wrong. 
Massachusetts was aided in holding the charter by the 
civil war in England. Just when she was in great 
danger of losing it, something of far more importance 
would occur in England, and the charter would be for- 
gotten for a few years. 

A third service of Winthrop's was the building up of 
a free government in Massachusetts. Some one has 
said that Winthrop worked out in eighteen years what 
it took Europe eighteen centuries to arrive at. The 
reason why he succeeded was that he was teachable. 
His plan for the government of the colony was one thing 
when he came, but events, as they arose, taught him to 
modify his idea. Because he had a sweet, teachable 
spirit, he shaped the conduct of afTairs to meet the 
needs of the people. He was ever ready to admit 
himself in the wrong and to promise to do better. Thus 
the people came to know his character, and, holding him 
as their greatest man, followed his lead without question. 



176 JOHN WINTHROP 

The fourth service of Winthrop's was the gift to 
Massachusetts of an ideal patriot. How he loved his 
adopted country ! From the moment his foot trod 
her shores New England was "the best land the sun 
shone on." Her interests came first always. It was 
years before the General Court voted him a tiny salary. 
At one time, when the governor was under sharp criti- 
cism, the General Court asked him to present his ac- 
count for inspection It was then found that he had 
paid over live thousand dollars out of his own pocket 
for the benefit of the colony. This had been intended 
for a gift ; no one would have known the fact if the 
General Court had not made its demand. 

Winthrop was generous in smaller ways. Let us 
read the story of the woodpile as Cotton Mather tells 
it. 

"In a hard and long winter, when wood was very 
scarce at Boston, a man gave him private information 
that a needy person in the neighborhood stole wood 
sometimes from his woodpile ; whereupon the governour 
in a seeming anger did reply, 'Does he so? I'll take 
a course with him ; go, call that man to me, I'll warrant 
you I'U cure him of stealing.' When the man came, 
the governour considering that if he had stolen, it was 
more out of necessity than disposition, said unto him, 
'Friend, it is a severe winter, and I doubt you are 
meanly provided for wood ; wherefore I would have 
you supply yourself at my woodpile till this cold sea- 



BUILDER OF A FREE STATE 



177 



son be over.' And he then merrily asked his friends, 
whether he had not effectually cured this man of 
stealing his wood ? " 




" I would have you supply yourself at my woodpile." 

No wonder the Massachusetts Bay Colony loved its 
governor ! He was, as all felt, a true Christian. 

Two great acts of the Puritans must never be for- 
gotten. They established Harvard College at Cam- 

COE F. — 12 



178 JOHN WINTHROP 

bridge in 1636. They established pubhc schools, where 
all children could find free education, in the year 1647. 
All within their borders were to have the chance to 
become educated citizens. 

"What do you raise here from this sand and these 
rocks?" asked a traveler in the Old Bay State. And 
the answer was, "We raise men." 



JOHN ELIOT, THE MISSIONARY PIONEER 

There is a famous story of schoolboy life in England 
that you all will want to read very soon. It is Tom 
Brown's School Days at Rugby. Tom Brown is a 
good football player and a fine, manly lad who be- 
friends a younger boy named Arthur. Arthur grows 
to be the honored dean of Westminster, Dean Stanley. 
Dean Stanley once paid a visit to America, and at that 
time some one said to him "What are the places that 
you would like to visit?" "There are two," said the 
Dean. "One is the place where the Pilgrims landed, 
and the other is the place where John Eliot preached." 

Now, as a matter of fact, John Eliot preached in 
many places. His parish was a wide one. It stretched 
from the Merrimac River on the north to Providence 
on the south, and from Nantucket on the east to Brook- 
field on the west. Its compass was about equal to half 
of Massachusetts to-day. How did it happen that a 
simple minister of the gospel should have duties to call 
him so far afield ? What is the story of his life ? 

John Eliot was born in 1604 in Hertfordshire, Eng- 
land. He was a graduate of Cambridge University. 
While in college, he showed that he had great ability 
in the study of languages. 

179 



l8o JOHN ELIOT 

At the age of twenty-seven the young man, now a 
minister, came to Massachusetts Bay. This was in 
1 63 1, when the settlement was new and feeble. Eliot 
preached in the Boston church for a while. The people 
were delighted with him and wished him to remain, but he 
preferred to go to Roxbury, where he was settled in 1632. 

Eliot's church stood on a hill. The buUding was 
about thirty feet long, twenty feet wide, and twelve 
high. It was made of logs, plastered with clay. The 
roof was thatched and the floor was of earth. A fine 
old colonial meetinghouse to-day marks the spot where 
once stood the humble house of the first church in 
Roxbury. 

Eliot's own little home was at the foot of the hill, 
about a stone's throw from the meetinghouse. 

There was an early law that every one should build 
within a half mile of the church. This was to secure 
the greater safety of the colonies against the Indians. 
That shady half mile of village street might have been 
John Eliot's world. Here he might have led a quiet 
and useful life, writing his sermons in his cottage home, 
going up to the meetinghouse to preach them, calling 
upon his people at their houses along Roxbury Street, 
occasionally going the two miles to Boston to consult 
with his brother ministers over church or state matters. 
Such a life would have been good and useful, but it 
would have lacked the devoted sacrifice that makes us 
honor John Eliot so greatly. 



THE MISSIONARY PIONEER 



i»i 



From the time of his arrival in America, Eliot had 
been interested in the Indians. Daily he passed them 
in the village street ; beyond the village he saw them 
gliding through the woods, perhaps close beside his 
own path. He knew their bad qualities as well as 







" Eliot passed them in the village street." 

their good. On the one hand they were idle, cruel, 
and most bitter enemies. Like the grass around a 
cabin door that a spark turns into a roaring blaze, so 
a look, a word would turn them into raging devils. 
On the other hand, they were good to their children 
and true to their friends. Eliot was especially inter- 
ested to know that they worshiped one whom they 



1 82 JOHN ELIOT 

called the Great Spirit. Him they seemed to see in 
the passing clouds, in the forest shades, and in the 
mighty faces of rugged mountains. 

Eliot's thoughts might have run something like this : 
"Here are these poor red men whose land we whites 
have taken in order to enjoy our religion, of which they 
know nothing. We should hasten to give them the best 
we have, — the gospel, education, all that we possess that 
they lack. This is an instant duty. It is not some- 
thing to be done by and by. As it is, we have waited 
too long." 

The first step was to learn the language of his Indian 
neighbors. He found a young Indian who had been 
a servant in an English household and who understood 
English well. With his aid, Eliot made rapid progress. 

In three years' time he felt ready to attempt a little 
sermon. A company of Indians were gathered in Chief 
Waban's wigwam near Newton. To that place came 
Eliot and told the simple gospel story. Then he asked 
if they had understood. How eagerly he listened for 
the answer ! Had his labors been successful after all ? 
A shout of assent was the reply, and then followed eager 
questions upon what he had taught them. Plainly 
these Indians not only had understood, but also cared 
to know more. 

Eliot was a man of practical good sense. He knew 
that to give the Indians the gospel alone was not enough. 
What they also needed was education. 



THE MISSIONARY PIONEER 



183 



So Eliot began to gather his red men into villages. 
At first he had these villages near the white settle- 
ments. Later, he altered his plan, preferring to place 



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Eliot preaching to the Indians. 

the Indians by themselves. His most successful vil- 
lage was Natick. 

Eliot taught the Indians how to live. Under his 
guidance they opened up roads, built log houses, 
cleared their farms, planted trees, sowed seed, built 



1 84 JOHN ELIOT 

Stone walls and bridges. The women learned to spin. 
The villagers gave up wearing the skins of beasts and 
accepted the dress of the white men. 

As the work grew, more and more villages were 
formed. At one time there were seventeen. Those 
were very busy years for Eliot. He was most faithful 
to his duties in Roxbury, but the days when he could 
leave home were spent in riding from one Indian vil- 
lage to the next, preaching, advising, rebuking, en- 
couraging. Often wet to the skin all day long, wring- 
ing the water from his clothing when he halted for the 
night, shelterless, and with no fire, he speaks of such 
hardships with joy: "God stepped in and helped — 
for I considered that word of God, ' Endure hardness as 
a good soldier of Christ.'" Dangers and death lurked 
beside the lonely roads, but this made no difference to 
the apostle Eliot. 

Much of John Eliot's success with the Indians was 
due to his kindliness. He was not stern nor austere. 
He was most winning in manner. He carried with 
him apples, cakes, and other goodies for the papooses, 
and tobacco for the men. Often, after a long sermon, he 
would pass these welcome gifts around. 

But all the time Eliot had been planting and tending 
Indian villages, months and years of toil had gone 
into another wonderful service. He had translated 
the Bible into the Indian tongue. Considering that 
the language had never been written, the task was 



THE MISSIONARY PIONEER 



185 



stupendous. After a day of great bodily fatigue, this 
gentle old saint would toil by the light of a tallow candle 
far into the watches of the night. 

The last years of Eliot's life were saddened by the 
failure of his mission. This was largely due to King 

Philip's War. Some 
of the Christian 
Indians joined their 
kith and kin and 
made war against 
the whites. The 
result of this action 
was that the English 
came to distrust all 
the "praying In- 
dians." Many of 
the villages were 
broken up. The 
Indians of Natick 
were removed to Deer Island. There they were prac- 
tically under guard. They could do no harm on an 
island, as they might in the open. 

Eliot did all that he could for his people in these 
trying times. He spent his money to supply their 
needs and protected them as far as he was able. But he 
could not be everywhere at once, and the poor Indians 
suffered much. 

Eliot died in 1690, at the age of eighty-six. On al- 




Eliot giving cakes to the Indian children. 



1 86 JOHN p:liot 

most the last day of his hfe he taught a Httle Indian 
boy his a 6 c's. 

His work had crumbled to naught. Had anything 
remained ? This. He proved that the Indian could 
be educated, and showed us the one way in which he 
could be reached, — by brotherly fellowship. After 
two hundred and fifty years of error in dealing with 
the red man, we are coming to see that John Eliot's 
way is the only path to follow. There are noble schools 
to-day at Hampton in Virginia, Carlisle in Pennsyl- 
vania, and other places, where Indians are taught high 
ideals and the useful arts of life. With them in mind 
we can say of John Eliot : "His soul is marching on !" 



PHILIP, CHIEF OF THE WAMPANOAGS 

Do you remember Massasoit, the friend of the people 
of Plymouth ? When he was ill, Edward Winslow went 
to him with medicine that cured him, Massasoit was 
grateful, and all his life long he was a friend to the 
white men. The treaty that he made with them in 
162 1 was kept for forty years. 

When Massasoit died in the year 1660, he left two 
sons. They had been given the English names of 
Alexander and Philip. Alexander was the elder, and 
so he became chief of the Wampanoags in place of his 
father. 

The principal village of the Wampanoags was situated 
on the slope of a beautiful hill overlooking the spar- 
kling waters of Narragansett Bay. The houses of the 
village were wig\vams built of poles fastened together 
at the top with tough bark from the walnut tree. The 
tent-shaped skeleton was covered with mats made of 
reeds or flags. Openings were left for doors, which 
were closed with mats, or left open, according to the 
direction of the wind. 

In the center of the wigwam burned the fire. A few 
skins thrown upon the ground were almost the only 
furniture. 

187 



1 88 PHILIP 

Near the wigwams were underground storerooms, 
where corn was laid away for the winter. Here also 
were kept salted meats and fish. 

The Indian brave led a very simple life. Every 
spring and fall he went on a hunting trip which lasted 
for three months. The remainder of the year he fished 
or idled away his time in the village, either sleeping or 
watching his squaw at work in the fields. The life of 
an Indian chief differed very little from that of his 
warriors. 

Alexander and Philip were tall, erect men with 
bronzed faces and coarse black hair hanging over their 
shoulders. Like all the braves, they were clothed in 
the skins of animals. Their moccasins were made of 
deerskin. On festive occasions they decked themselves 
with earrings, bracelets, and necklaces made of pebbles, 
fishbones, or brightly tinted shells. Their faces were 
gayly painted and their heads were crowned with curious 
headdresses made of feathers. 

Now, in those days, the Indians were far from con- 
tented. They had many grievances against the white 
men. 

In the first place, they saw their lands passing rapidly 
into the Englishman's hands. He paid for them, it is 
true, but when he wished to buy he would not take no 
for an answer. So the Indians of New England found 
themselves crowded into peninsulas along the coast. 
With their foes surrounded on three sides by water, the 



CHIEF OF THE WAMPANOAGS 189 

white men needed to guard but one side in case of 
trouble. The hunting grounds of the Indians had 
become towns and villages ; their parks were now 
pastures ; even their fishing grounds were thronged 
by the newcomers. The natives could not go west, 
because the land there belonged to other tribes. There 
was nothing for them to do but to remain where they 
were. 

Another matter that perplexed and angered the 
Indians was the work of John Eliot. They saw 
that the praying Indians separated themselves from 
their savage friends. They lived near the whites ; 
they tried to be like them. The red men thought the 
Englishmen were strengthening themselves by adopting 
these converted Indians "into their tribe." You re- 
member how Captain John Smith was adopted into the 
tribe of the Powhatans in Virginia. Adoption was a 
common custom among the Indians. But they thought 
the white men were adopting on too large a scale. 

A third cause for grievance was the careful way in 
which the Indians were watched by the colonies. If 
they did anything that displeased the English, they were 
called to appear before the courts and explain. There 
they were fined or punished in some fashion. It was 
very humiliating. The worst part of it all was that 
they had, by treaty, made themselves subjects of the 
English king. Perhaps they had not then realized 
exactly how it would seem. But they were forced, as 



IQO PHILIP 

by an iron hand, to submit to the orders of the white 
men's courts, and to keep all the terms of the treaties. 




" The Indians were forced to submit to the orders of the white men's courts." 

Alexander did not remain sachem very long. The 
court of Plymouth ordered him to present himself be- 



CHIEF OF THE WAMPANOAGS 191 

fore them. Certain charges had been made against 
him, and from these he must clear himself, Alexander 
was angry at being ordered about in this fashion. But 
he went and satisfied the Plymouth court that the 
charges against him were false. On the way home he 
was taken sick and died. His brother Philip always 
believed that the English had poisoned him. 

Canon'chet, the chief of the powerful Narragansetts, 
had a grievance very much like Philip's; still other 
chiefs had other troubles. Thus it came to pass that 
when the leaders met, they talked over their woes, as 
was very natural. These things came to the ears of 
the English ; the rumor was that Philip was plotting 
to make war on the settlements. 

Again and again the English sent for Philip to ex- 
plain himself. At these times Philip would make fresh 
promises of friendship, or perhaps sign a new treaty. 
Once he agreed that his tribe should give up their 
muskets. In the early days of the colonies, the Indians 
had had only bows and arrows. But now, through 
trade with the Dutch, the French, and even the 
English themselves, they were well armed with mus- 
kets. What is more, they were very skillful marksmen. 
The Indians were now stronger foes than ever, in case 
of war. Only a few dozen muskets were surrendered 
by Philip's tribe, but the colonists let matters rest 
there. 

A few more years passed by, and then in June, 



192 PHILIP 

1675, suddenly the Wampanoags fell upon Swansea, 
a settlement in the Plymouth colony, near Rhode 
Island. Some of Philip's young warriors burned two 
houses. A company of Massachusetts men were 
promptly sent out to punish these young men. As the 
English drew near Swansea, they were horrified to see 
dead and mutilated bodies strewn along the road. A 
second raid had been made upon the town, the houses 
had been burned, and the people slain. An Indian 
war — the most fearful sort of conflict — had begun 
in New England. 

Philip was surrounded in his home at Mt. Hope by 
troops from Boston and Plymouth. The Indian vil- 
lage was soon taken, but Philip and his braves had 
escaped. The Nipmucks were rising, and the Wam- 
panoags joined with them. 

And now the weak little settlements along the Con- 
necticut River might well tremble. Here was the far 
frontier of Massachusetts, and with often only a hand- 
ful of families in a village, what stand could be made 
against hundreds of shrieking savages ? The settlers 
were poor men. All they had in the world was their 
log huts and their wide fields of standing corn, wheat, 
and grass. It was at harvest time that the danger came, 
— in late summer and fall ! What should be done ? 

The family of the farmer would be safe from Indians 
in Boston. True, but if he found no work in the town, 
they might starve or be obliged to accept charity. A 



CHIEF OF THE WAMPANt)AGS 



193 



few weeks more on the farm, and the harvest would be 
in. Thus many and many a man took the risk. But 
it was bitterly hard to leave wife and children in the 




" The father might be shot in the field." 

morning, not knowing whether you would ever meet 
again. The father might be shot in the field, the wife 
and babies killed and scalped in the kitchen, and the 
house fired over their heads, all in a short quarter hour. 
No wonder mothers hugged their little ones closely as 

COE F. — 13 



194 PHILIP 

the twilight fell ; no wonder fathers lingered on the 
doorstone before setting forth to the fields in the morn- 
ing. Behind the familiar bush or friendly haystack, 
the savage might lurk even then, and death might come 
at any moment. 

All that golden autumn the red terror stalked through 
the fair Connecticut Valley. The cry of alarm went 
up from Brookfield, Deerfield, Northfield, Hadley, and 
Springfield. We cannot tell the story of all these 
towns, but you may be interested to learn what hap- 
pened in Brookfield and Hadley. 

On August 2, 1675, a party of three hundred Indians 
attacked Brookfield. The village was a small one, as 
it did not contain more than thirty or forty men. 
These, with some fifty women and children, took ref- 
uge in one large house. Here they held out for three 
days. The other houses were burned, and then the 
savages gave all their attention to this building. Ar- 
rows tipped with burning rags were shot against the 
roof. But there were careful watchers, and the 
sparks were promptly put out. The second story was 
an "overhang," so that the settlers could prevent the 
savages from coming close to the house walls. They 
kept up a strong defense with their muskets. 

On the third day the Indians set about making a 
rude cart from barrels and planks. Upon this they 
heaped tow and shingles. These they meant to fire, 
and then the whole was to be launched against the 



CHIEF OF THE WAMPANOAGS 195 

wooden walls of the house, which would probably burn 
like tinder. The plan was clever, but it failed. A 
heavy rain fell, and the "fire cart" was useless. 

Just after sundown rescue came ! Curtis, a scout, 
had made his way out of Brookiield through the ranks 
of the savages. At noon that day he found Simon 
Willard and his little party of forty-seven horsemen. 
He told them of the peril of the people of Brookfield, 
and at once Willard decided to aid the besieged. 
Thirty miles, over a poor road, they galloped that after- 
noon, and at the close of day they scattered the Indians 
and freed the poor villagers, who had fought for their 
lives so long and well. 

Hadley was attacked while the people were in church. 
In the midst of the Sabbath hush a wild yell was heard. 
The Indians were upon them ! The men seized their 
guns and rushed out of doors. All around them was 
the painted, leaping, shrieking foe. It is not strange 
that, in the face of the sudden assault, the white men 
should have wavered. 

Suddenly a voice of command was heard. A stately 
old man with keen eyes and snow-white beard stood 
before them. In his hand glittered a drawn sword. 
He took command, and all obeyed his orders. In a 
very short time they had beaten off the savages. They 
looked around for their leader, but he was nowhere to 
be seen. Hence it was often said that the Lord that 
day sent his angel to fight for the people of Hadley. 



ig6 



PHILIP 



This was true, but the so-called angel was still in 
the flesh. He was William Goffe, one of the judges 
who had sentenced King Charles I to be beheaded 
during the civil war in England. After Charles I's son, 
Charles II, came to the English throne, the lives of 
these "regicide judges" were not worth a penny. Two 




"He took command and saved the day." 

of them were hiding in New England. At the time 
of the attack, Goffe had been sitting at a window in 
the house of a friend. He had seen the stealthy 
approach of the redskins, the rush into the \illage, 
and the moment's panic of the farmers. He had once 
been a great general, and old impulses returned to 
him. He took command and saved the day. 

All this time the powerful Narragansetts had not 
taken the field. Philip's friends, the Nipmucks, had 



CmEF OF THE WAMPANOAGS 1 97 

done the fighting in the Connecticut Valley. Some of 
the Wampanoags had taken refuge with the Narra- 
gansetts. The latter had a treaty with the whites 
by which they were not to harbor the enemies of the 
English. The English called upon the Narragansetts 
to give up the refugees by a certain time. The Narra- 
gansetts were much impressed by the Indian successes 
along the Connecticut. They were half inclined to 
throw in their lot with Philip, in spite of their 
many treaties with the whites. While they were yet 
undecided, the day passed for the giving up of the 
hostages. The Narragansetts did nothing. Rumors 
were about that they were making ready for war. 

Then the English determined to act promptly and 
forcefully. They made ready to send a winter ex- 
pedition against the Narragansetts. Massachusetts, 
Plymouth, and Connecticut sent troops for the under- 
taking. The expedition numbered one thousand men. 
Its commander was Governor Winslow of Plymouth. 

Now, the village of the Narragansetts was not easily 
attacked. It was situated on some five or six acres of 
rising ground in the midst of a swamp. A wooden 
palisade twelve feet thick surrounded the village. 
There was but one entrance, and that was reached by a 
bridge made of a log two feet thick. This bridge was 
raised five feet from the ground and was protected by 
a blockhouse. The blockhouse was filled with sharp- 
shooters, and the log was slippery with ice. Altogether 



1 98 PHILIP 

the place was a formidable fort, to storm which required 
great skill. 

It was Sunday, the 19th of December. The colo- 
nists had made a hard march of eighteen miles through 
deep snow. By noon they had reached the neighbor- 
hood of the Narragansett village. Should they attack 
that day? As their provisions were running short, 
Winslow decided that there must be no delay. He ar- 
ranged his men and they started across the swamp, 
which was now frozen. The men of Massachusetts 
led and the men of Plymouth followed. They forced 
their way in at the door of the blockhouse, while the 
men of Connecticut entered through a weak place in 
the palisades. 

And now within the fort were enacted terrible scenes 
on that wintry Sunday afternoon ! Wigwams were 
fired ; stores of grain were destroyed ; one thousand 
men, women, and children were either shot or burned 
to death ; in a few hours the place was laid in ashes. 
This was a terrible blow to the Narragansetts, from 
which they never fully rallied. 

The rest of the war may be told very briefly. Sur- 
prises and massacres began again in the spring. At 
length the forces of the Narragansetts and the Nip- 
mucks were broken ; many of them were captured. 
Next, Philip's wife and little son of nine years were 
taken prisoners. "My heart breaks," said Philip. 
"Now I am ready to die." 



CfflEF OF THE WAMPANOAGS 199 

With a very few followers he drifted back to his old 
home, Mt. Hope. He was followed and closely hemmed 
in by Captain Church and his men. One of Philip's 
warriors suggested that now was the time for Philip 
to make terms of peace. Philip was furious and slew 
the man with his tomahawk. Then the brother of the 
dead man crept away and sought Church. He offered 
to guide the English to Philip. 

Early in the morning Philip and his men awoke. 
They saw their enemy stealing forward to surround 
them. Philip sprang to his feet and, grasping his 
gun, made a dash for liberty. Two men fired, — an 
Englishman and a friendly Indian. The Englishman's 
gun missed fire, but the bullet of the Indian went home. 
Philip fell face foremost into a pool in the swamp. 

These were harsh old times. Philip's head was cut 
off and sent to Plymouth, where it was set upon a pole 
and displayed on the village green. At the same time 
a thanksgiving was held in the church at Boston. 
Many of the chief sachems were hanged. Many war- 
riors, together with women and children, were sold as 
slaves to the West Indies. That was the sad fate of 
Philip's wife and son. 

The war was now over in southern New England, 
but every^vhere was sorrow and mourning. Of ninety 
towns, twelve were gone, while over forty had been the 
scene of fire or massacre. About six hundred men had 
been killed in battle or murdered, to say nothing of 



200 



PHILIP 



women and children. One family in eleven had been 
burned out, and every eleventh soldier had fallen. 

The colonies were heavily in debt ; it was a time of 
deep gloom and sadness everywhere. 



^'»^>^^ 




Death of Philip. 



It is hard to tell just how far the war was due to 
Philip. Very likely he had an understanding with 
the Nipmucks, and possibly with the Narragansetts. 



CHIEF OF THE WAMPANOAGS 201 

But there was no carefully planned conspiracy. He has 
been likened to the match that explodes the powder 
cask. 

Writers are not agreed as to Philip's character. 
Some claim that he was no organizer, and that he was 
a great coward, "the first to fly in any attack." 
Others assert that he was far-sighted, keen to see what 
was best for his people, and truly patriotic. Some day 
you may read and judge for yourself the truth con- 
cerning " this most famous Indian of colonial times." 



PILGRIM AND PURITAN LIFE 

Pilgrim and Puritan ! These are names you will 
hear again and again in reading the liistory of our coun- 
try. Let us see exactly what the difference is. 

The Pilgrims and the Puritans were alike dissatisfied 
with the Church of England. The Puritans, however, 
thought the Church of England could be reformed, 
while the Pilgrims thought otherwise. The Pilgrims 
left the Church of England and established their own 
church. For this reason they were sometimes called 
Separatists. 

Ten years after the Pilgrims came to Plymouth, a 
band of Puritans, as you know, settled at Boston. 
They were many in number, and the leaders were 
men of wealth and influence. The settlement was a 
success from the first. Boston was soon an important 
town. The Massachusetts colony became much larger 
than Plymouth, and emigrants from Massachusetts made 
settlements also in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and 
New Hampshire. 

The people of New England have always been hard 
workers. Their climate and soil forced them to industry. 

Farming was the chief occupation. ^Although in the 
Connecticut Valley the land was fertile, by far the 



PILGRIM AND PURITAN LIFE 203 

greater number of farms in New England were barren 
and poor. By ceaseless toil the father and his growing 
boys wrung a living from the stony hillsides and sandy 
plains. 

Fishing was the most profitable pursuit. The fish 
were excellent and plentiful. Many were salted and 
shipped to the West Indies and to Europe. All sorts 
of comforts were returned to the colonies in exchange 
for the fish. Thus commerce began. 

Shipbuilding was another industry that began early. 
Fine timber was abundant, and the Englishmen were 
then, as always, able boat builders, navigators, and 
saUors. 

In the early days at Plymouth and Boston the set- 
tlers had many hardships to face. The means of liveli- 
hood were about the same at each place. Consequently 
life was much the same in the two small towns between 
the wilderness and the deep sea. 

Should you like to enter a Pilgrim home? Should 
you care to know what the Pilgrims wore, what they 
ate, and how they spent their week days and their 
Sundays ? 

The first house in Plymouth was the storehouse. 
Many crowded into the building, while their friends 
continued to live on the Mayflower. It was estimated 
that nineteen houses would hold all in comfort. Nine- 
teen house lots were laid out along the first street, and 
the men began to build homes for their families. But 



204 



NEW ENGLANDERS 



when seven houses had been built, they stopped. So 
many Pilgrims had died that seven houses were all 
that were needed. 

These houses, and those built by later settlers, looked 
much alike. They were made of logs. The space 
between the logs was filled with a kind of mortar made 








" They were made of logs." 

of mud and chips. The windows at first were of oUed 
paper. Later, glass was brought from England. 

Fear of the Indians led to the prompt building of a 
fort. The fort stood on Burial Hill, at whose base 
nestled the seven houses of Plymouth. The fort was a 
large square building with a roof of heavy timbers. 
On this roof cannon were planted. 

The large square room within the fort served for a 
meetinghouse. Nine months later a high fence was 



PILGRIM AND PURITAN LIFE 205 

built around the village. This fence, or palisade, was 
made of upright logs set in the ground side by side. The 
palisade ran up the hill to the fort. It had three gate- 
ways which were carefully guarded. A sentinel was 
stationed on the platform of the fort also. 

Let us enter one of the early Massachusetts homes 
to see what comfort was possible in the seventeenth 
century. 

The chief room in the house is the kitchen, or living 
room. This room is blessed with a glorious fireplace, 
lofty, wide, and deep. Enormous logs can burn in this 
cavern of a fireplace. 

That iron arm, fastened to one side of the fireplace 
and crossing almost to the other side, is the crane. 
From the crane dangle many hooks, upon which are 
hung various kettles and pots when a meal is being 
prepared. 

Notice the andirons on the wide stone hearth. 
Some families have two pairs, and even three. What 
is this tin object close by ? It is a bake oven, used in 
baking biscuits. In the wall of the fireplace is the 
brick oven. Here are baked such delicious things ! 
Baked beans, brown bread, chicken, cakes, and golden 
pumpkin pies ! 

The furniture is made of wood. There were no chairs 
at first. Benches and stools were used instead. Plates 
were made of square blocks of wood, hollowed out with 
knives. These wooden plates were called trenchers. 



2o6 



NEW ENGLANDERS 



Drinking cups and spoons also were made of wood. 
Knives were common at table, but forks were rare. 

Two people usually ate from one trencher. They 
might be two children, or a man and his wife. One 
drinking cup often served a whole company. These 

cups were sometimes 
made of leather. 
This led the French 
to say of the English 
that they drank ale 
out of their boots. 

The one dainty 
touch about the 
tables was the linen. 
Holland linen was 
not expensive, and 
the Pilgrim mothers 
had brought good 
supplies across the 
seas. They were 
excellent laun- 
dresses, so the gloss on the linen was always perfect. 

An important article in the living room was the spin- 
ning wheel. Sometimes there were several wheels in a 
household. Hours and hours were spent by the women 
at their wheels. All the wool and linen with which to 
clothe their large families had to be spun, woven, dyed, 
cut, and sewed by them. There was no buying of 




Early New England tableware. 



PILGRIM AND PURITAN LIFE 



207 



ready-made clothing, or even of cloth by the yard in 
those early days. 

Let us suppose it is a winter evening when we visit 
this early Massachusetts home. We find the family 
gathered as close to the fire as possible. Drafts of cold 
air enter through the chinks between the logs. Often- 
times faces burn while backs 
are freezing. 

Stools, benches, and spin- 
ning wheels hug the hearth. 
The boys are whittling teeth 
for rakes or reels for yarn. 
The father is reading a book 
of sermons. The mother 
is knitting; the daughter, 
spinning. The room is 
lighted by burning pine 
knots. These are called 
candle wood. 

The light flickers uncer- 
tainly, sometimes showing wide stretches of the sanded 
floor and causing the strings of dried apples and herbs, 
dangling from the ceiling, to cast strange shadows. 
The crackle of the fire, the cheep of the knife, the whir 
of the wheel, give a sweet sense of home cheer, even in 
the wilderness. 

No one is anxious to break up the pleasant circle. 
Cold as is the living room, the bedrooms are freezing. 




Spinning. 



208 



NEW ENGLANDERS 



On these nights the warming pan is in demand. This 

is a sort of a brass sauce- 
pan with a cover and a 
very long handle. Live 
coals are placed in the pan 
and the cover is shut down. 
Then the warming pan is 
passed between the linen 
sheets to take off the chill. 
The bedsteads are four- 
posters with testers and 
curtains. Still, nothing 
Ice must actually be broken in 




A warming pan. 



can keep out the cold 

the water pails in the morning. 

The Pilgrim dress was simple and 
sensible. The men wore long coats 
and breeches reaching to the knee, 
woolen stockings, and hea\y shoes. 
In the early days ruffs were worn, 
but these gave way to the rolling, 
or falling collar, tied with a white 
string and tassels. Hats were large, 
with broad brims. 

The gowns of the women were 
usually of wool, and sensibly short. 
The bodice was often slashed at the 
sleeves or shoulders to show the 
pretty white or colored underwaist. 




Pilgrim clothes. 



PILGRIM AND PURITAN LIFE 



209 



On gala occasions, a white handkerchief was folded 
over the neck and shoulders, and deep lace-edged cuffs 
were worn. A dainty white cap gave the final touch 
of grace. Out of doors the women wore a close velvet 
bonnet tied under the chin. 

Children were very quaintly dressed. They were 




A church meeting in Boston. 

like tiny copies of their parents. Very small boys, 
however, looked much like girls. They wore skirts 
that reached to their ankles, and round, wide-brimmed 
hats that tied under their chins with ribbons. 

Both Pilgrims and Puritans were deeply religious 
people. The Sabbath was kept with great strictness 
both in Boston and in Plymouth. 

Most people stopped work by three o'clock on Satur- 

COE F. — 14 



2IO NEW ENGLANDERS 

day. The first Sabbath service was held Saturday 
evening in the family. A long prayer was said, a 
psalm was sung, and then all sat down, silently thinking 
over the sins of the week. 

Only necessary work was done on the Sabbath, as 
the meals were largely prepared the day before. No 
unnecessary talking was permitted. 

After breakfast, the children recited their catechism 
to either their father or their mother. Then all pre- 
pared for church. 

Morning service was at half past eight. In the 
early days in Plymouth, the men, at beat of drum, gath- 
ered at the door of Miles Standish, each with his musket. 
There they formed in line three abreast. The governor 
brought up the rear. On his right was the preacher. 
On his left walked Captain Miles Standish with his side 
arms. In this order the little procession wound up 
Burial Hill to the meetinghouse. 

In church each man set his musket near him, for none 
knew when the Indians might make an attack. The 
boys sat on the pulpit stairs. They watched the hour- 
glass eagerly, as the preacher turned it from time to 
time. The sermons were very long ; so was the prayer, 
through which every one stood. Still no one dared to 
nod, for the tithingman was watching ! 

The tithingman seemed to the children more im- 
portant than the minister. He was a curious person 
who carried a long rod. On one end of this rod was a 



PILGRIM AND PURITAN LIFE 211 

fox's tail ; on the other, a rabbit's foot. If a woman 
fell asleep, the tithingman tickled her face or neck 
with the soft tail; but if a little boy nodded, he 
might be rapped smartly with the rabbit's foot. 
At two o'clock came another long service. In the 




" On one end of this rod was a fox's tail." 

evening the family talked over the two sermons, and the 
children were again drilled in their catechism. 

No matter how lovely the summer day, there must 
be no sitting out of doors and no walking for pleasure. 
That, alas, would be "walking profanely on the Sab- 
bath !" It is no wonder that the Sabbath seemed to 



212 



NEW ENGLANDERS 



many a weary little Puritan as long as all the other six 
days of the week together. 

Great respect was paid to the preacher. Any man 
or woman speaking ill of the sermon might 

be dragged to the whipping j^i post to receive 
a given number of lashes. 




" The whipping post was set up very early in 
New England." 

This whipping post was much 
used in England and was set up 
very early in New England. Lying, swearing, and 
sleeping in church were offenses to be punished by 
whipping. 

The stocks were another means of punishment some- 
times found at church doors. They consisted of a 
framework of boards with holes for the ankles. The 



PILGRIM AND PURITAN LIFE 213 

offender sat with his legs stretched straight before him 
and held in the stocks. It was a sort of slow torture. 

A person sleeping, laughing, or joking in church might 
be seized by the tithingman and thrust into the stocks. 
How the elders would frown and the children would 
stare at the victim in passing out of meeting ! 

Parents gave their children very curious names in 
those days. They often chose the names of virtues 
they themselves wished to have, — such as 
Love, Fear, Humility, Thanks, Hopestill. 
Wrestling, Preserved, and Supply are names 
still more surprising. Oceanus Hop- 
kins and Seaborn Cotton were named 
for their birthplace, — the ocean. 

The Puritan 
children were 

most respect- ^^^^^^^^^LfS^ "^"^ 

ful and obedient. They stocks, 

shared early in the cares 

of their parents. But home tasks rarely kept them 
from school. 

The Boston boys attended the Latin School, which 
was established in 1635. Little children and the older 
girls went to a dame's school. This meant a school 
kept by a woman. Here they learned reading, writing, 
and keeping accounts. There were no drawing lessons, 
no music, no delightful nature study, such as we have 
to-day. Think how much they missed ! 




214 NEW ENGLANDERS 

Here are a group of little boys and girls returning 
home from the dame's school in the late afternoon. 
Several of them wear a curious object tied by a cord 
about their necks. It looks like a small hand mirror 
or a very large locket. 

"What is this that you are wearing, little girl?" 

"My hornbook." 

Yes, it is a book, or rather a small page backed with 
wood, covered with horn, and framed in brass. It must 
be a precious page to be kept so carefuUy. How fine 
and close the printing is ! First comes the alphabet ; 
next syllables, — a b, ab, etc.; next the figures; and 
last of all the Lord's Prayer. The hornbook is the 
Puritan's primer. 

When a child can read the Lord's Prayer, he is ready 
to be promoted to the second reader. The second 
reader was sometimes the Book of Psalms. 

You will be sorry to know that neither in Boston nor 
Plymouth was Christmas a holiday. The twenty- 
fifth of December passed like any other day. No 
stockings, no Santa Claus, no Christmas tree ! Poor 
little Puritans ! 

They had, however, a happy time at Thanksgiving. 
That holiday did not come every year. Neither was 
it always in November. Sometimes it came in October, 
sometimes in February. 

The first Thanksgiving was held at Plymouth in 
162 1, and lasted nearly a week. The crops had been 



PILGRIM AND PURITAN LIFE 



215 



fairly successful, and Governor Bradford decided to 
spend a few days in rejoicing. He sent out four men 
with guns, who shot enough game to last the colonists 
a week. Undoubtedly many of the birds were turkeys. 
In those days turkeys often weighed as much as forty 
pounds. 

Massasoit and ninety of his braves were asked to the 




feast. They did not come 
empty-handed. One day, 
out of the three they 
passed with the Pilgrims, 

was spent in hunting. They returned with five deer, a 
welcome addition to the larder. The deer, and possibly 
the turkeys, were cooked at fires made in the open air. 
Four women, assisted by one servant and a few young 
girls, did all the cooking for three days for one hundred 
and twenty men. Surely that task called for courage 
in the Pilgrim mothers. 



2l6 



NEW ENGLANDERS 



Indians and white men passed the time in competi- 
tions in running, leaping, and jumping. Both parties 
thoroughly enjoyed the occasion. This feast helped to 











" Both parties thoroughly enjoyed the occasion." 

bring about the cordial understanding with the In- 
dians that led to the success of the colony. 

The Pilgrims had known famine in the past. They 
were to be often in want during the next few years. 
But whether their table was graced with turkey and 
venison or spread with clams and water, their spirit of 



PILGRIM AND PURITAN LIFE 217 

thanks was the same. Grace before meat and thanks 
after, was their daily custom. 

When Brewster had nothing to eat but clams, he 
gave thanks that he was "permitted to suck of the 
abundance of the seas and the treasures hid in the 
sands." Every soul in Plymouth was ready to join 
with George Herbert in his beautiful Thanksgiving 
hymn : — 

"Thou that hast given so much to me, 
Give one thing more, — a grateful heart : 
Not thankful when it pleaseth me, 
As if thy blessings had spare days, 
But such a heart whose pulse may be 
Thy praise." 



NEW NETHERLAND: OLD NEW YORK 

You have read of the beautiful river discovered by 
Henry Hudson. Awe and wonder filled his mind as 
he sailed up the great stream northward through a land 
*'as fair as man with feet may tread." 

Because Hudson was sailing for the Dutch, all the 
region he discovered was claimed by them. They 
named it New Netherland. But the Dutch did not 
think of making settlements at first. They thought 
of the country as a vast trading ground. 

Furs were in great demand in Europe. People of 
wealth, and many of moderate means, trimmed their 
robes with fur. They also wore cloaks of beaver and 
other furs. Fortunes were made in the fur trade. 

It is not to be wondered at that traders flocked to 
New Netherland. Trading posts were established here 
and there in the wilderness. Often they consisted 
merely of a warehouse, with a few huts ; but some- 
times these were defended by a fort. The two most 
important posts were at Fort Orange, the Albany of 
to-day, and on Manhattan Island. 

The Dutch were firm friends of the powerful 
Iroquois. They were also on friendly terms with the 
Algonquins and other tribes of the region. Beads 

218 



OLD NEW YORK 



219 



and ribbons brought in return rich and glossy furs. 
The harvest was abundant and the harvesters were 
few. "Good hunting!" might well have been the 
greeting called from one trader to another, as their 
skiffs passed each other on the shining river. 




Trading post on Manhattan Island. 



But with the year 1621 more serious plans were 
forming in Holland. A new trading company had been 
organized, called the Dutch West India Company. 
This company was to have the sole right to the fur 
trade in New Netherland. 

The Dutch West India Company decided to make 
settlements here. To hold this rich fur country more 
securely they must colonize it. The English had al- 



2 20 NEW NETHERLAND 

ways claimed the land which the Dutch called New 
Netherland; the English settlements in Virginia and New 
England were growing year by year. Plainly the Dutch 
must "occupy the land," or they might be driven from 
it at no distant day. 

In 1623 the first shipload of colonists arrived in New 
Netherland. They were scattered among the different 
trading posts, where it was hoped they would at once 
begin to till the land. 

Three years later a still more important step was 
taken. The company sent out a colony under Peter 
Min'uit. He was to be governor of New Netherland. 

Minuit's company landed on Manhattan Island. 
Here a fort had stood for the past twelve years. Minuit 
bought the island for twenty-four dollars' worth of 
beads, brass buttons, ribbons, and red cloth. The 
Indians were delighted. To-day New York city 
covers the ground of the purchase, and the land could 
not be bought for several thousand million dollars. 
What a change of values in less than three hundred 
years ! 

The village that grew up here was called New Am- 
sterdam. The two chief buildings were the fort and 
the storehouse. The fort was a rude blockhouse girt 
by a high fence of red cedar. The storehouse was of 
stone with a thatched roof. The houses were log huts 
of one story, also with thatched roofs. 

The houses stood at haphazard, for each man built 



OLD NEW YORK 



221 



where he chose, with no thought of future streets or the 
welfare of the town that was to be. Here and there a 
windmill arose, flapping its arms as naturally as if it 
stood by a canal in Holland. The Dutch loved to see 




" Minuit bought the island." 

the windmills, for they made the new strange country 
seem like the Fatherland. The Indians dared not 
come near the windmills. They feared " their long 
arms and big teeth biting the corn in pieces." 

Years passed by and the company found that very 
little land was cultivated. Many of the farmers be- 



22 2 NEW NETHERLAND 

gan to trade on their own account. Trafficking in skins 
offered a short cut to fortune, beside which the clearing 
and working of wilderness farms seemed tedious. 

Then the Dutch West India Company made a new 
offer. Any member of the company who would take 
out fifty adults to New Netherland should receive a 
liberal grant of land. He might claim sixteen miles of 
water front on any river, or eight miles on each bank. 
His claim ran backwards indefinitely into the forest 
wilderness edging the river valley. Such a landholder 
came to be called a patroon. 

The patroon was bound to clear the land and to pro- 
vide his settlers with houses, barns, cattle, and tools. 
The settlers were to remain on the estate for ten years 
after their arrival. They were to give the patroon a part 
of each crop as rent. 

Almost immediately a good number of patroonships 
were established along the Hudson River. The great 
patroons often ruled over domains larger than those of 
German princes. They were practically kings. Their 
will was law, as no one could call them to account on 
their own land. 

After 1640, more settlers began to come to New 
Netherland. This was due to two reasons: first, 
the company had made new and generous offers to 
settlers; and, second, religious freedom was promised 
to every one. Germans and French who had been per- 
secuted in the Old World, English who were dissatisfied 



OLD NEW YORK 



223 



with New England, servants who had worked out their 
freedom in Virginia, all flocked into New Netherland. 
Soon it was reported that fourteen different languages 
were spoken in New Amsterdam. 

In 1647 there came to New Netherland a new gov- 
ernor, named Peter Stuyvesant (stiVe-sant). He had 
been a soldier in the Dutch West Indies. There he had 




" Peter Stuyvesant entered New Amsterdam with pomp." 

lost a leg. It had been replaced by a wooden one bound 
with silver bands. On this account he was called Old 
Silver Leg. 

Peter Stuyvesant entered New Amsterdam with 
pomp. Everything was done to impress the citizens 
with his great dignity. At the time of taking com- 
mand at Fort Amsterdam, he sat with his hat on in 
the presence of many of the principal citizens. They, 
meanwhile, stood uncovered before him. 



224 



NEW NETHERLAND 



This extreme dignity he loved. One citizen said of 
him, ''Governor Stuyvesant struts about like a pea- 
cock, — as if he were the czar of Muscovy." In truth, 
czar was a very good name for the peppery, hot-tem- 
pered, honest old soldier. 

Some of his speeches amaze us to-day. He wished 
the people to accept his will as law. They were not to 
appeal to the government of Holland. Said Stuyvesant : 
"If any one, during my administration, shall appeal, I 
will make him a foot shorter and send the pieces to 
Holland and let him appeal in that way." 

But Peter Stuyvesant had many virtues that we 
must not overlook. He was brave, honest, and 
energetic. 

Stuyvesant settled boundary questions that had long 

been in dispute. He 
built a twelve-foot 
wall across Manhattan 
Island. This was to 
aid in the defense of 
the city against the 
English or French. 
Wall Street, to-day, 
occupies the ground 
upon which the old 
New Amsterdam wall once stood. Here is the central 
stock market of the United States, where fortunes are 
made and lost in a day. 




The New Amsterdam wall. 



OLD NEW YORK 



225 



Stuyvesant let the people elect a council, but he still 
had his own way. The councilors might propose cer- 
tain measures. If they suited the governor, well and 
good; if not, he would pound on the floor with his 








:^ 




New Amsterdam in 1664. 

wooden leg and say what was to be done. And done 
it always was. No wonder his people dubbed him 
Peter the Headstrong and Peter the Testy. 

What did old New Amsterdam look like in the spring 
of 1664? 

The town of fifteen hundred inhabitants occupied 
the southern end of Manhattan. At the extreme south 
was the fort, no longer of wood, but of stone. It 
mounted twenty guns. 



226 NEW NETHERLAND 

From Fort Amsterdam, the town stretched north- 
ward to the wall. Its eastern and western boundaries 
were the two rivers, — East River and Hudson River. 
Many houses were built along the river fronts, as the 
worthy Dutchmen loved to sit on their porches, or 
stoops, and smoke their pipes of a late afternoon. 

The low houses of stone or brick were set comfort- 
ably apart, with pleasant flower plots or vegetable 
gardens about each. Most of the houses were placed 
with their gable ends toward the street. These gables 
were built of small yellow and black bricks imported 
from Holland. Each roof was topped by one or two 
generous chimneys and a weathercock. 

The doors were divided midway into an upper and 
a lower door, each with its own hinge and lock. Small 
bull's-eye panes of glass sometimes appeared in the 
upper door. Those within could thus cautiously sur- 
vey the visitor before opening to him. The brass or 
iron knocker was often of fine design. Old Dutch 
custom gave to every new Amsterdam house its front 
porch, or stoop. 

Here the people liked to sit during mild evenings. 
Perhaps their view commanded an outlook over the 
harbor, or perhaps a peep at a windmill lazily turning its 
great sails in the evening light. Canals crossed by little 
bridges were other pleasant reminders of the Fatherland. 

Within doors everything showed exquisite care, for 
Dutch women are famous housekeepers. The wooden 



OLD NEW YORK 227 

floors were covered with sand, in which a pattern was 
traced. On one side of the Hving room was the huge 
fireplace. This was, in many cases, bordered with tiles 
on which were pictures of Bible stories in bright colors. 
Sitting in the chimney corner, chubby Hans and 
flaxen-haired Gretel might trace Old Testament his- 




Dutch living room. 

tory from the garden of Eden to the prophet Jonah. 
The flames might burn brightly, but the pink Joseph 
and his blue brethren held a greater charm. 

Over the mantel hung racks of various kinds. 
Platters of wood and pewter were ranged in long rows 
in the plate racks. The pipe rack was filled with quaint, 
long-stemmed pipes. 



228 NEW NETHERLAND 

Cupboards full of china and glass, carved chests, 
and the steady old Dutch clock with its curious moon 
face, added charm to the room. Such a home was 
only a few miles from New England, yet how marked 
was the difference! 

The dress of the women of New Amsterdam differed 
much from the Puritan costume. The Puritans chose 
sad-colored hues, but the Dutch clothing was almost as 
gay as their own tulips. A housemother wore a loose 
sacque and many short petticoats of linsey-woolsey. 
On her head was a little cap of quilted calico. Her 
feet were clothed in blue worsted stockings with fine 
red clocks and high-heeled leather shoes with shining 
silver buckles. About her waist was a girdle from 
which fell red ribbons or chains of brass or silver. At 
the ends of the chains were scissors, a pincushion, and 
the household keys. 

The men wore cloth breeches and coats with silver 
buttons, silver buckled shoes, and broad-brimmed hats. 
The hats were often of beaver and were worth several 
pounds apiece. The wealthy carried ivory-headed canes 
on state occasions, and a true Dutchman, whether rich 
or poor, was rarely separated from his long-stemmed 
pipe. He filled it with native tobacco after his hearty 
breakfast, and, smoking slowly and solemnly, went 
down the street to his daily work. 

What was his occupation ? If he were middle-aged 
and prosperous, he traded in furs and lumber; if he 



OLD NEW YORK 229 

were young and strong, he threshed grain in the barn, 
ground corn at the windmill, or felled trees on the 
hills; if he were old and feeble, he fished in the river 
from morning till sundown. 

The fur traders had boasted in the early days of 
New Netherland that the wealth of the colony lay in 
her furs. Time, however, proved this false. The fertile 
river valleys brought forth harvests of grain so rich and 
abundant that the great sails of the many windmills 
were kept always at work. The golden grain, not the 
sleek beaver, was the foundation of the colony's success. 

The Dutch had several holidays, the most important 
of which were New Year's Day and May Day. These 
days were celebrated by firing of cannon and much 
calling amongst friends and neighbors. Maypoles 
wreathed with flowers were raised on May Day. 

The custom of New Year's calls was passed by the 
Dutch to the English, and for more than two hundred 
years it has been observed in New York city. 

Dutch rule in New Netherland lasted more than 
fifty years. Then, like a clap of thunder out of a clear 
sky, came the attack by the English in August, 1664. 

England's claim to New Netherland was weak. But 
she had long coveted the territory. It divided her colony 
of Virginia from New England. It possessed the finest 
harbor on the Atlantic coast. It controlled the great 
waterway by the Hudson and the lakes into Canada. 

King Charles II of England now gave to his brother 



230 NEW NETHERLAND 

James, the Duke of York, all the Dutch territoty in 
America. James at once fitted out a fleet to seize it. 
He gave the command to Colonel Richard Nicolls, who 
had been a member of his household. 

The success of the expedition depended upon its 
secrecy. Still, rumors reached the keen ears of Stuy- 
vesant, and he urged the Dutch government to send him 
a fleet. They decided against his request and had 
only themselves to blame for what followed. 

In August, 1664, Nicolls appeared at New Am- 
sterdam with four ships, carrying ninety guns and two 
hundred and fifty fighting men. He demanded the sur- 
render of the fort and town. The odds were mightily 
against Stuyvesant. Still the old soldier had but one 
answer to return. "While I have a leg to stand on 
and an arm to fight with, I will never surrender." 

Nicolls sent a second summons, promising to respect 
lives and property. The magistrates asked that the 
proclamation be read to the people. At this proposal 
the headstrong governor tore the letter into shreds. 

The magistrates, however, put the pieces together, 
made a fair copy, and read it to the people. The 
Dutch citizens hated the rule of Stuyvesant ; the Eng- 
lish rule might be freer. So there was but one voice 
from high and low. That voice said. Surrender ! 
Stuyvesant stood alone, but he was forced to yield. 

It was a terrible blow to the old soldier's pride. "I 
had much rather be carried out dead," he said. 



OLD NEW YORK 



231 



On September 8, he marched at the head of his sol- 
diers to the ships in the harbor. There they embarked 
for Holland. 

The Dutch flag fell and the English flag was soon 
floating over the old fort with a new name. No 




NicoIIs marches into the fort. 

longer New Amsterdam, it was to be called Fort James. 
The town was to be New York. 

New Netherland soon submitted to English rule. 
Nicolls was the first English governor, and he certainly 
was the right man in the right place. His wise and 
kindly measures and his wonderful courtesy made the 
English rule acceptable. 

After Stuyvesant had reported the circumstances to 



232 



NEW NETHERLAND 



Holland, he returned to New York. He owned a large 
farm, or bowery. Here he spent the last years of his 
life. It is a charming fact that the old ex-governor and 







'^X^/J^^'> 



Stuyvesant's bowery house. 

NicoUs became warm friends and often spent hours 
together strolling about the gardens of the bowery, 
smoking and discussing the politics of the time. 



A QUAKER IN THE NEW WORLD 

During th.e last few chapters we have been consid- 
ering the settlement of important colonies. If you 
look back, you will find two causes for settlements. 
They were trade and religious persecution. Virginia 
and New York were settled for purposes of trade ; 
Massachusetts was built up by persons seeking free- 
dom of thought. In the latter case the people them- 
selves sought and found a place of refuge. 

The story of Pennsylvania is somewhat different. 
William Penn, a man of wealth and influence, estab- 
lished a colony in America. Penn belonged to the sect 
known as Quakers. At this time they suffered much 
persecution. Penn's colony was to serve as a refuge 
to Quakers. But that was not all. Other persecuted 
people were welcome there, no matter what their belief. 

Let us learn a little more of Penn and of the sect to 
which he belonged. 

William Penn was born in 1644. His father was 
Admiral Sir WiUiam Penn. Admiral Penn had gained 
wealth, position, and influence by his own efforts. 
He was very ambitious for his son. He hoped that 
William Penn the younger might carry the family for- 
tunes still higher. 

233 



234 



WILLIAM PENN 



The father spared no pains in his son's education. 

William was a beautiful and talented child and he grew 

into a youth of great promise. At sixteen he entered 

Christ Church College, Oxford. 

All went well for two years. Then, to his father's 

grief, William was sud- 
denly dismissed from 
the university. He had 
been much impressed by 
the preaching of the 
Quaker, Thomas Loe. 
As a result he, with 
other students, had re- 
fused to attend chapel. 
Had the lad really be- 
come a Quaker ? His 
father talked with him 
and found that he had. 
To Admiral Penn and 
to most of the people of 
this time the Quakers 
were "a peculiar people." 
They were seventeenth century cranks. Few people had 
time to inquire into their beliefs, which were truly noble. 
The ordinary Englishman thought of the Quakers as 
queer persons who said thee and thou, who never took 
off their hats to any man, who would not fight nor take 
an oath, even in court. 




Quakers. 



A QUAKER IN THE NEW WORLD 235 

All these facts were true of the Quakers. They un- 
covered to God alone. The Bible taught peace, they 
declared; it also said, "Swear not at all." How, then, 
could they use weapons, or swear, even in court ? 

"Don't you dare to thee and thou the king, the Duke 
of York, or me," cried the angry father. 

But William did thee and thou the king, and he even 
dared to wear his hat in the royal presence. Charles 
was not angry, only amused. One day when William 
met him, the king took off his hat. 

"Why dost thou remove thy hat, friend Charles?" 
inquired young Penn. 

"Because," replied the king, "wherever I am, it is 
customary for only one to remain covered." 

Admiral Penn fretted and fumed, and at last turned 
his son out of doors without a shilling. His mother, 
however, soon persuaded him to call William home 
again. 

Then the Admiral decided on new tactics. WiUiam 
should see something of the world. Surely "the king- 
doms of the world and the glory of them" would drive 
dull crotchets from the mind of a nineteen-year-old 
boy. 

Accordingly Penn was sent to gay and glittering 
Paris. He also traveled in France and Italy, and 
studied in a French college. 

■ After two years he returned to London. His father 
was pleased with his polish ; he seemed almost a man of 



236 WILLIAM PENN 

the world. He was "tall, lithe, and strongly built, a 
picture of manly beauty, with great lustrous eyes under 
arching brows, a profusion of dark hair falling in curls 
upon his shoulders, a powerful chin, a refined and sen- 
sitive mouth." 

William could use his sword well also. In Paris, one 
night, he was set upon in the streets. He defended 
himself well and disarmed the footpad without wound- 
ing him. This unquakerlike skill must have pleased 
Sir William. 

But in an unlucky hour for Sir William the plague 
broke out in London. To be out of harm's way, young 
William was sent by his father to look after his lands 
in Ireland. Here was the Quaker Loe, and Penn came 
again under the influence of his preaching. From this 
moment he never wavered. He would live and die a 
Quaker preacher and writer. 

The next five years were hard ones for William Penn. 
His angry father turned him out of doors. He was 
frequently in prison because of his speeches and writ- 
ings in support of the Quakers. The usual steps were 
as follows. Penn would address a gathering in the 
street. Such gatherings being unlawful, Penn would 
be arrested and taken into court. There an oath of 
allegiance would be demanded. Penn would refuse. 
Thereupon'he would be sent to prison. This happened 
over and over again. 

In 1670 Sir William Penn died. One of his last acts 



A QUAKER IN THE NEW WORLD 237 

was to ask for his son the friendship and guidance of the 
Duke of York. James, Duke of York, was an old 
friend of the family, and William was still a young man 
of twenty-six. 

In 1674 Penn first became interested in America. 
It happened that King Charles owed William Penn 
the large sum of £16,000. William knew that the ex- 
travagant Charles would never meet this debt. He 
therefore offered to receive his pay in the wild lands of 
America. Charles was pleased with this easy way of 
paying his debts. So 40,000 square miles of land west 
of the Delaware River were granted to Penn. 

Penn was the proprietor of all this great region. 
Here was to be a spot where the Quakers would be free 
from persecution. Religious liberty was promised to 
all faiths. 

As you would expect, Penn planned a very free gov- 
ernment. He and the freemen of the colony were to 
make the laws. 

William Penn thought of calling his grant of land 
Sylvania, which means Woodland. King Charles 
named it Pennsylvania. Penn objected. He "feared 
lest it be looked on as vanity." 

"Don't flatter yourself, my dear fellow," said Charles. 
"We will keep the name to commemorate the Admiral, 
your noble father." 

William Penn offered his acres at low rates, and there 
was an immediate response. People trusted him ; they 



238 WILLIAM PENN 

knew him to be honest and generous. Thus it came 
to pass that in the very first year twenty ships carrying 
three thousand persons sailed for Pennsylvania. Not 
only Englishmen came, but also Germans and Dutch. 

In September, 1682, Penn came to America himself. 
He sailed on the ship Welcome with one hundred pas- 
sengers, mostly Quakers. It was a trying voyage. 
The plague broke out and more than thirty died. It 
must have been a great joy to see the green shores of 
the Delaware River. 

Penn was delighted with his new possessions. His 
letters were full of joy in its fresh beauty and peace. He 
wrote, "O how sweet is the quiet of these parts, freed 
from the anxious hurries and perplexities of woeful 
Europe !" 

Soon after landing, Penn laid out his capital. He 
named this future city Philadelphia, which means City 
of Brotherly Love. 

Penn chose the location wisely. It was at the meet- 
ing of the Delaware and a smaller river that flows into 
it. The city was laid out almost like a chessboard. 
Streets ran in parallel lines north and south, east and 
west. They were named for the trees and shrubs that 
gave way for the coming town. 

"Apple, pear, fruit and vine, 
Chestnut, walnut, spruce and pine." 

So ran the names. 



A QUAKER IN THE NEW WORLD 



^39 



Frame and brick houses sprang up like mushrooms. 
Settlers came so fast that some were obliged to live in 
caves dug in the steep banks of the Delaware River. 




The first homes of some Pennsylvania settlers. 

English, Welsh, Germans, Dutch, and Swedes, all 
were content with the wise rule of Penn. In three 
years Philadelphia had 2500 inhabitants and Pennsyl- 
vania over 8000. New Netherland took fifty years to 
equal this growth that Pennsylvania made in three. 

The Quakers brought many of their curious customs 
to the New World. They were unwilling to call the 
days of the week and the months of the year by their 
heathen names. Instead they used numbers. Sunday 
was the First day, Monday, the Second day, and so on. 

In the Quaker meetinghouse there was no paid 
preacher. Any one, man or woman, might speak to the 
company, if he felt that he had a message from God to 
deliver. Otherwise they sat in silent meditation and 



240 



WILLIAM PENN 



prayer. Often there was no word spoken at the First 
day service. 

Troubles with the Indians hindered the progress of 
other colonies. The Quakers had no such difificulties. 
How did this come about ? 

A week after he landed, Penn had a meeting with 




"' William Penn sprang to his feet and outleaped them all." 

the Indians. The gathering took place under an elm 
tree. Penn wore his simple Quaker dress and broad 
hat. Tradition says that a blue silk scarf crossed his 
breast and that he carried a scroll of parchment in his 
hand. 

The red men were charmed with his dignity and his 
kindliness. He walked with them, sat on the ground 
and talked with them, ate of their roasted acorns and 



A QUAKER IN THE NEW WORLD 241 

hominy. Later, the savages began to show their skill 
in running and jumping. Suddenly William Penn 
sprang to his feet and outleaped them all. He was still 
young and vigorous, as he was but thirty-eight at the 
time. This act, of course, pleased them very much. 

The Indians were good judges of men. They felt 
that Penn was sincere. They believed him when he 
said that he looked on them as brothers. 

The treaty entered into at this time was kept for 
sixty years. Voltaire, a great French writer, calls 
this "the only treaty between savages and Christians 
that was never sworn to and that was never broken." 

In 1684 Penn sailed for England. He hoped soon to 
return to America, but the Quakers needed him in Eng- 
land. Their religious meetings were broken up by 
soldiers and the worshipers were sent to jail. They 
hoped that their leader, Penn, would plead their cause 
with the king. 

Penn was, for a time, a court favorite, and many 
sought his influence with the king. Then came a new 
king who thought Penn was his enemy. In 1692 the 
governorship of his dear Pennsylvania was taken from 
him. 

These were dark days, but brighter times followed. 
Penn's rights in his colony were restored to him and, 
after fifteen years, he came to pay his second visit to 
the New World. 

Philadelphia was now a city of nearly four thousand 

COE F. 16 



242 



WILLIAM PENN 



people. Penn lived in a modest brick house roofed 
with slate. It was known as the Slate-roof House. 
He had an elegant country home at Pennsbury. 




Peim's Slate-roof House, Philadelphia. 

Everything went smoothly in the colony during the 
two years that the governor was on the spot. It was 
only when he was absent that matters went awry. 

What industries did the people of Pennsylvania de- 
velop? The chief occupation was agriculture. Soil 
was fertile, and abundant crops of wheat and corn were 
raised. In time much wheat and corn, with timber 
and furs, were exported. The imports were sugar, wine, 
and manufactured articles. Thus a brisk commerce 
sprang up. 

Manufactures were of slower growth. The first 



A QUAKER IN THE NEW WORLD 243 

paper mill was established near Germantown towards 
the close of the seventeenth century. German glass 
was manufactured in the same place. The brewed ale 
of Philadelphia soon became famous. 

The fields were not worked by the negroes as at the 
south. What slaves were then in Pennsylvania were 
mostly house servants. The Quakers were opposed to 
slavery at a time when other Christians saw nothing 
wrong in the practice. As early as 1688, William Penn 
and others sent to the Friends' meeting a written 
protest against the buying and selling of slaves. 

Years passed and William Penn was an old man 
of sixty-eight. Pennsylvania had been a burden and 
an expense so great that he now desired to sell his rights 
to the crown; £60,000 was the price agreed upon. 

The paper was drawn, but before he could sign it he 
was seized with paralysis. He never was fully himself 
again. He lingered for six years, growing feebler in 
mind and body. In 17 18 he died. 

Penn's sons and grandsons kept their rights over 
Pennsylvania till the Revolution. 

William Penn was an unusual man. He was both a 
saint and a statesman. Many narrower men have 
been either one or the other, but Penn was a citizen of 
this world and of the other world also. But always 
rehgion came first; always the statesman served the 
saint. 



BLACKBEARD, THE LAST OF THE PIRATES 

Some sixty years after the settlement of Virginia, 
strange, wild men swarmed along her coast. They 
were pirates. They found refuge in the many inlets, 
creeks, and harbors along the shore of Virginia and the 
Carolinas. 

A pirate captain had a very swift ship so that he 
could overtake other vessels at sea. At his masthead 
hung a black flag decorated with a white skull and cross- 
bones. This meant death to all whom the pirate cap- 
tured. Strangely enough the flag was called the "Jolly 
Roger." 

The crew of the pirate ship was made up of convicts, 
cutthroats, and vagabonds from all nations. The 
leader was a man fiercer and stronger than the rest. 
It was only by his ferocity that he could hold his fol- 
lowers in check. 

The business of the pirate was to pursue and capture 
merchant or treasure ships to secure their cargoes. 
Often a sharp fight took place. But the pirate usually 
boarded his foe, killed many of the fighting men, and 
made those who were taken alive "walk the plank." 
That meant that they were thrown into the sea. In 
this way, week after week, the pirate gathered much 

wealth together. 

244 



THE LAST OF THE PIRATES 245 

Often his men mutinied. Then a terrible fight took 
place in the ship. The victors made their conquered 
shipmates "walk the plank," or they marooned them. 
To maroon a man was to leave him on some desert 
island. Sometimes a loaf of bread and a bottle of 
water were given to him, but they were soon gone. 
Death followed by slow starvation. 

Sometimes a pirate went ashore to bury his treasure. 
He selected the spot carefully, and made written notes 
as to the number of paces between it and prominent 
landmarks. These notes were not made very plain, 
for the pirate did not wish them to be understood by 
any one into whose hands the paper might fall. They 
were purposely made "blind," — so that the pirate 
alone could understand them. 

Next, he brought a few men on shore with the money. 
Under their captain's eye they dug a deep hole and 
buried the treasure. Afterwards, the captain often 
killed them in return for their pains. This was be- 
cause they knew the hiding place of his wealth. 

Often tales would be told by the people of the country- 
side of having seen ragged cutthroats digging pits for 
treasure. Sometimes slips of paper were found with 
mysterious figures and letters. Young men and old men 
who had more imagination than sound sense, would 
spend years of their lives hunting for buried treasures. 
This folly has gone on throughout the length of the 
Atlantic seacoast. 



246 BLACKBEARD 

In 1 71 7 it was stated on good authority that there 
were fifteen hundred pirates on our coast. Their 
headquarters were at New Providence, a town on one 
of the Bahama Islands, and at Cape Fear in North 
Carohna. To pillage the passing vessels, they ranged 
the coast from Newfoundland to Brazil. 

How did they ever come to be so numerous ? When 
England was fighting Spain, of course English ships 
attacked Spanish ships wherever they found them. 
The Spanish ships were usually carrying treasure to 
Spain to pay the expenses of the war, and the English 
were glad enough to cripple the enemy in this way. 
Even before war was declared, Spain and England 
fought each other in America. You remember how 
Francis Drake captured Spanish ships in the South 
Sea when he sailed around the world. 

In the latter part of the seventeenth century, Spain 
was the great bully of Europe. She was cordially 
hated by Holland and France, as weU as by England. 
She would aUow no other nation to trade with her 
colonies in America. When she caught foreign ships 
in her ports, she hanged the men, and sank or stole 
the ships. 

Thus it came to pass that the English, French, and 
Dutch would combine against the Spaniard. They 
called themselves the Brethren of the Coast. They 
would together surprise a Spanish colony, sack the town, 
and kill the people. So it happened that there was 



THE LAST OF THE PIRATES 247 

constant fighting both on land and sea in the West 
Indies. Fierce and lawless men would naturally be 
drawn to this region, the Spanish Main, as it was called. 
So there came to be, not only Brethren of the Coast and 
buccaneers, but also pirates. 

Some of the famous pirates were Henry Morgan, 
Captain Kidd, Quelch, Bellamy, and Blackbeard.^ 

Blackbeard was the last of the pirates. You may 
be interested to know something of his career. He was 
a native of Bristol, England, and his name was said to 
be Drummond. He had changed his name to Robert 
Thatch, but he was more often called Blackbeard, on 
account of the thick, shaggy beard that hung far down 
his chest. He had a low forehead, shrewd little eyes, 
and a fierce temper. 

He wore three braces of pistols slung over his shoul- 
ders, and these he used freely. He put out his candle 
at night by shooting a bullet through the flame. He 
often startled his friends at table by sending a bullet 
spinning through their hair or close by their ears. He 
was not angry ; it was just a pleasant little way he had. 

When George I became king in 17 14, he deter- 
mined to expel the pirates from New Providence. A 
few years later he sent a fleet to the Bahamas, and the 
pirates were driven from the stronghold they had held 
so long. Many of them took up their abode in the 
mazes of the Carolina coast. Among these was Robert 
Thatch. 



248 BLACKBEARD 

In June, 1 718, he appeared off Charleston harbor \\dth 
a forty-gun frigate and three smaller boats. He lay 
in wait for ships entering or leaving the harbor, and it 
was not long before he had captured eight or ten. One 
ship was bound for London, and upon it w^re men of 
importance in the colony. One passenger was a mem- 
ber of Governor Johnson's council. 

Blackbeard needed supplies and medicines. He made 
a list of what he desired to have sent him, which was 
carried to Governor Johnson by a party of Blackbeard's 
sailors, headed by his mate, Richards. The message 
was that, if the articles were not sent, Blackbeard 
would send Governor Johnson the heads of all the good 
citizens of Charleston that were his prisoners. 

The .governor saw that the lives of the citizens must 
be saved. He hastened to collect what Blackbeard had 
demanded. The prisoners were landed in a pitiable con- 
dition. They came ashore almost naked, for Blackbeard 
had robbed them of their clothing as well as of their 
money. From one man he stole six thousand dollars. 

Blackbeard went to North Carolina, ^vhere the gov- 
ernor actually permitted him to swagger around town 
and to spend his money freely. It was said that Black- 
beard had bribed the governor to protect him. 

At last the pirate's ill-gotten wealth was spent. To 
get more he had to take to the high seas again. He 
secured a ship, collected a crew, and told every one 
that he was a merchantman. 



THE LAST OF THE PIRATES 



249 



He set sail, but soon returned, bringing into port a 
fine French ship with a rich cargo. He declared that 
he had found her adrift, but no one believed him. The 
people of North Carolina felt that a stop must be put 




Blackbeard boarding a ship. 



to piracy. At least they would have no more Black- 
beards among them. 

They sent word to the vigorous Governor Spotswood 
of Virginia, and he came with two cruisers against this 
rover of the sea. They tracked him to his lair, and 



250 BLACKBEARD 

thereupon a running battle took place through the 
coast channels. 

Blackbeard was a terrible figure in a fight. Lighted 
matches were thrust over his ears and stuck out from 
beneath his hat brim. He stood by a cannon which 
he was about to fire, when the Virginians boarded his 
vessel. All around, his pirate crew lay dying, and he 
himself fell dead beside the cannon he was aiming at 
the enemy. So passed Blackbeard, the last of the 
pirates. 

All of the crew who were captured were promptly 
hanged. The head of the pirate chief decorated the 
bowsprit of one of the two cruisers, as she triumphantly 
returned home to Virginia. 

It seems strange to think that these grim fights were 
happening only about two hundred years ago. 



THE FATHER OF GEORGIA 

SoAiE fifty years after the founding of Pennsylvania, 
the thirteenth and last colony was settled in America. 
This was Georgia. 

What Perm was to Pennsylvania, all this and more 
was General Oglethorpe to Georgia. His services to 
England and to America show a fine generosity that is 
unusual. 

James Edward Oglethorpe came of a good old Eng- 
lish family. His parents had a beautiful estate on 
the Wey River. They had also plenty of money, so 
that they could give their handsome son every ad- 
vantage. 

He chose to become a soldier and, while still in his 
teens, he fought against the Turks. He was an aide to 
Prince Eugene, a gallant Austrian general. 

Returned from the wars, Oglethorpe was elected to 
Parliament. There he showed energy and good sense 
in all he did. 

Oglethorpe had a friend, Castell by name. This 
man had been unfortunate in business ; he had become 
a debtor. English law said that he must go to prison. 
At this time smallpox was raging in the ward to which 
Castell would naturally be sent. Castell learned this 



252 



JAMES EDWARD OGLETHORPE 



fact and implored the jailor to lodge him anywhere 
else in the prison. He said that if he were sent to this 
ward and took the disease, the jailor would be his 
murderer. 

It all happened as Castell foretold. The ruthless 
• jailor confined him 

in this very ward. 
He contracted the 
smallpox and died 
in a few days, in 
great agony of 
mind and body. 

This sad story 
reached the ears 
of Oglethorpe. 
He was greatly 
shocked, and re- 
solved to inquire 
into the condition 
of poor debtors. 
Parliament made him chairman of a committee to visit 
prisons and propose reforms. 

Such reforms were sadly needed. English laws at 
this time were amazingly harsh in regard to debtors. 
A man whose only crime was good nature or lack of 
caution might spend his whole life in prison. There the 
sufferings of his helpless family might wring his heart ; 
there he might starve; there he might die and no one care. 




^W£ 



Oglethorpe visits a debtors' prison. 



THE FATHER OF GEORGIA 253 

But Oglethorpe and his committee discovered darker 
facts as they worked on. The jailors had well-nigh 
absolute power. If they wished, they could torture 
the prisoners cruelly. Thumbscrews and iron collars 
that were screwed tighter and tighter were sometimes 
used. 

AH these sad facts were more than Oglethorpe could 
bear. Such unfortunate debtors should be given an- 
other chance, he thought. They must be set free and, 
in a new world, have the joy of beginning life afresh. 
In this way the idea of planting a colony in America 
first came to Oglethorpe. 

But as the plan was discussed, new aims became clear. 
In the end, the purposes of the colony were threefold : 
First, it was to serve as an asylum to poor debtors 
from England ; second, it was to serve as an asylum 
for certain persecuted sects in Germany and elsewhere ; 
third, it was to be placed between the Carolinas and 
the Spaniards in Florida, thus protecting the older 
English settlements. 

The plan was approved by Parliament and by 
King George II. In June, 1732, a royal charter 
was granted for twenty-one years. The colony was 
to be called Georgia, after the king. It comprised the 
land between the rivers Savan'nah and Altamaha', from 
their mouths to their sources. Thence the grant ran 
westward to the Pacific Ocean. 

Twenty-one trustees were to manage the colony. 



254 JAMES EDWARD OGLETHORPE 

These trustees were to be given no lands in America ; 
they were to have no salary. They meant to give to 
Georgia, not to get all they could. 

This remarkable fact we must not forget. Georgia 
was a charity. Everything was "in trust for the poor." 

The poet Thompson says of Georgia : — 

"O great design, if executed well." 

The execution was in good hands. From the first, 
Oglethorpe's was the master mind. He had been 
made governor and military leader without pay. The 
failure or success of the undertaking rested largely with 
him. 

Money had to be raised to free the debtors and then 
to provide them with clothing, passage money, tools, 
and firearms. The government gave a liberal sum; 
Oglethorpe and others contributed. From far-away 
Pennsylvania came £ioo and a warm letter from Wil- 
liam Penn. 

Thirty-five debtors' families were selected with great 
care. By November, 1732, the first company was 
ready to start. Oglethorpe was to guide them to their 
new home. 

After a voyage of fifty days they reached Charleston, 
South Carolina. The people of that town were de- 
lighted to meet these new neighbors. They gave them 
cattle, goats, hogs, and rice. They also sent negroes 
with them to help build the houses. 



THE FATHER OF GEORGIA 255 

Oglethorpe pressed on to choose a site for his first 
town. He built it upon high bluffs on the Savannah 
River, ten miles from its mouth. He named it Savan- 
nah, after the river. 

The spot was most attractive. The clear reaches 
of river, the bordering woods of cypress, myrtle, and 
live oak, the fragrance of the yellow jasmine, all 
pleased the foreigners. Nature showed them her fairest 
face. 

About this time a South Carolina newspaper printed 
this of Savannah: "Mr. Oglethorpe is indefatigable 
and takes a vast deal of pains. His fare is but indif- 
ferent, having little else at present but salt provisions. 
He is extremely well-beloved by the people. The title 
they give him is Father. If any difference arises, he is the 
person who decides it. . . . It is surprising to see how 
cheerfully the men go to work, considering they hav^ 
not been bred to it. There are no idlers, even the boys 
and girls do their part. . . . The Indians who are 
thereabouts are very fond of Mr. Oglethorpe and assist 
him what they can ; and he, on the other side, is very 
civil to them." 

Soon after reaching Savannah, Governor Oglethorpe 
held a meeting with the Indians. Three tribes lived near 
Savannah. Their chiefs met Oglethorpe in May, 1733, 
and gave him, at this time, his title to part of Georgia. 

As the Indians were departing, Oglethorpe presented 
each chief with a laced coat and hat and shirt. Each 



256 



JAMES EDWARD OGLETHORPE 



war captain was given a gun with ammunition, while 

cloth cloaks and smaller gifts fell to the lesser red men. 

The Indians were much pleased. They promised 

"to keep the talk in their heads so long as the sun should 





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"The Indians were much pleased." 

shine or the waters run into the sea." And they kept 
their word. 

Tempted as the Indians often were by rich bribes 
offered by the Spaniards, they remained true to the 
English leader. The following incident is a case in 
point. 



THE FATHER OF GEORGIA 257 

The Spaniards offered large sums of money to an 
Indian for every English prisoner he would bring in. 
They showed him fine scarlet clothes and a sword. 
"Oglethorpe is poor," said one, "he can give you 
nothing. It is foolish for you to go back with him." 

The Indian replied, "We love him. It is true he 
does not give us silver, but he gives us everything we 
want that he has. He has given me the coat off his 
back and the blanket from under him." 

At these words the Spaniard grew angry. He struck 
the Indian a severe blow with his sword. This caused 
a scar which the poor man showed after his escape. 

Oglethorpe was a man of foresight. He knew that 
war would soon come with Spain. Georgia was small 
and weak, and could not withstand a strong enemy. 
Soldiers must be brought from England. 

In 1734 Governor Oglethorpe returned to England 
for this purpose. Many colonists wept to see him go. 
One settler voiced the thoughts of many when he said of 
Oglethorpe, that he "had carefully watched over them 
as a shepherd does over his sheep . . . both day and 
night." 

Two years later Oglethorpe returned with over two 
hundred emigrants. About half of these were Scotch 
Highlanders who were skilled soldiers. This was 
called the "grand emigration." Several cannon were 
brought also. 

The governor now built several forts on islands and 

COE F. — 17 



258 JAMES EDWARD OGLETHORPE 

at the mouths of rivers. An armed colony estabhshed 
the town Frederi'ca on St. Simon Island. If the Span- 
iards invaded Georgia, it was hoped that the forts and 
P>ederica would protect Savannah and the Carolinas. 

Oglethorpe was much pleased with the way Savannah 
had grown during his absence. Three years before a 
thick forest had covered the spot ; now there were 
two hundred houses, and some of them were two and 
even three stories high. The public gardens were 
the pride of the town. Here grew olives, figs, and 
vines, as well as plums, apples, and pears. In a sunny 
corner were coffee, cotton, and other plants from the 
West Indies. Here also grew the white mulberry 
trees, to be used in the silk culture. This was an in- 
dustry of which great things were hoped. 

Spain was a neighbor both hated and dreaded by 
Georgia and the Carolinas. The Spaniards held Florida, 
with St. Augustine as their chief town. They claimed, 
however, all of Georgia. 

It was a relief to have open war declared by England 
in 1739. General Oglethorpe was made commander of 
the South Carolina and Georgia troops. 

As his force was small, the general knew that it would 
be best to make the first move. He decided to enter 
Florida and besiege St. Augustine. Plans were care- 
fully made. Success depended upon the small fleet, 
the Indians, and the troops of South Carolina and Geor- 
gia working together. 



THE FATHER OF GEORGIA 259 

The expedition failed. No fault, however, could be 
found with the Indians and the soldiers of Georgia. 
The chief blame was due to the delay of the forces from 
South Carolina. 

This slothfulness became chronic. It would seem 
as if the people of South Carolina left their whole de- 
fense to Georgia. "Georgia must suffer first," they 
seemed to think. "When Spain actually sets foot in 
South Carolina then we shall need to bestir ourselves." 

The English had failed in their attack on St. Augus- 
tine. Nevertheless their daring had this result. The 
Spaniards delayed their attack on Georgia for two years. 

Then they came in full force. They had five thou- 
sand men and fifty-one vessels. To oppose them Ogle- 
thorpe had but eight hundred men and two vessels. 
The struggle took place on St. Simon Island. The 
Spaniards first took the fort on the southern end of the 
island. From this fort a road ran to Frederica. The 
road was a narrow one, so, in marching, the Spaniards 
spread into the woods on each side. There, Ogle- 
thorpe's Indian allies fell upon them. Thus they were 
forced to keep to the main road. 

Not far from Frederica they encamped. But the 
place they selected was reaUy an ambuscade. Behind 
a hedge were hidden a company of sturdy Highlanders. 
They watched the camp fires kindled and the suppers 
being prepared. The signal to attack w^as a Highland 
bonnet raised on a sword. 



26o 



JAMES EDWARD OGLETHORPE 



When this sign was given, the Scotch fell upon the 
Spanish with great fury. The surprise was perfect. 
Hearing the uproar, Oglethorpe brought up other 
troops, and the Spaniards were completely routed. 



:,3r^. 




" The Scotch fell upon the Spanish with great fury." 

By a clever stratagem, Oglethorpe led the enemy to 
think that a great English fleet was upon them. A sail 
or two appeared in the ofhng, and that was enough 
for the Spaniards. They fled back to Florida, and the 
frontier was quiet until the Revolution. 

The saving of Georgia reads like an Old Testament 
story. It seems almost a miracle that eight hundred 
men chased five thousand. 



THE FATHER OF GEORGIA 261 

In the following year money matters compelled 
Oglethorpe to return to England. He had spent large 
sums of his own money for Georgia. But he never 
was repaid. He never visited his colony again. 

From the first the Georgia settlers were turbulent 
and there was constant murmuring against the trustees. 
One cause of complaint was that no slaves were al- 
lowed in Georgia. The planters said that the climate 
required slaves ; it was too hot for white men to do the 
work. The trustees replied that Spain might cause 
slaves to rise against their masters. The danger was 
too great. "If negroes are introduced into Georgia," 
said Oglethorpe, " I will have no further concern with 
the colony." 

Rum was not allowed in Georgia. The people 
wished to use it in their trade with the West Indies. 
The trustees stood firmly for its prohibition, but the 
people often smuggled rum and slaves as well from 
South Carolina. 

Great hopes were built upon the silk, wine, and oil 
industries. Italians were imported to teach the dif- 
ferent steps in silk culture. Once Oglethorpe was able 
to carry enough silk to England to be made into a 
dress for the queen. But in spite of all the trustees 
could do, the silk industry declined, as did the oil and 
wine industries also. 

The colonists wished to become rice and indigo 
planters like the settlers of Carolina. They insisted 



262 JAMES EDWARD OGLETHORPE 

that white men could not work in the fields from April 
to October, and that slaves were necessary. After 
fifteen years there were very few planters who could 
raise enough to support their families. The result was 
that many gave up their plantations and hung about 
the towns, living from hand to mouth. A large num- 
ber left the colony. Plainly Georgia was not a success. 

All felt that matters must change. At length, in 
1750, slavery was allowed in Georgia. Two years 
later the unpopular trustees gladly gave up their 
charter. Georgia then became a royal province, and 
began to prosper. 

The foreign industries of silk, oil, wine, olives, and 
hemp which the trustees had forced upon her were 
abandoned. The natural resources, pitch, tar, lumber, 
rice, and deerskins, were utilized. Plantations were 
again cultivated with care, and vessels came to trade. 

There was hardly any town life in the colony. Most 
of the estates were small, and the planters toiled hard 
for their living. For amusement they fished and hunted 
and occasionally attended a horserace. 

On the coast there were a few large plantations where 
lived men of wealth, like the rich planters of Virginia 
and South Carolina. Their estates covered hundreds 
or thousands of acres, and their manner of life was as 
stately as if they had lived in England. 

And what of General Oglethorpe's last days? For 
many years he was the senior general in the British 



THE FATHER OF GEORGIA 263 

army. In 1775 he was offered the command of the 
British troops who were fighting the colonists in the 
Revolutionary War. He refused, perhaps because of 
S3^mpathy with Georgia and her fellows in their struggle 
against unjust laws. 

Ten years later Oglethorpe died at an advanced age. 
He had lived to see the colony planted by him attain 
its independence. This was a rare experience. 

Devotion to duty and unselfishness marked the 
character of the father of Georgia. In these virtues no 
colonial leader surpassed James Edward Oglethorpe. 

In the Southern colonies, the ruling class was the rich 
planters, men whose wealth lay in the wide-stretching 
fields of rice or tobacco, and in the hundreds of slaves 
who cultivated them. What did the home of such a 
planter look like ? 

The house was a long, rambling structure of wood, 
with fine brick chimneys at either end. It stood on 
a knoll not far from the river, towards which the 
grassy lawns sloped gently. Full in sight from the 
veranda a weather-beaten pier ran out into the river, 
and beside it rocked many boats. 

Paths of powdered shell led to the gardens bright 
with hollyhocks, sweet wiUiams, roses, and tall white 
lilies, and to the rear of the house, past the offices, 
barns, and shops, past the great orchard of cherry 
and apple trees, to the double row of slave cabins 



264 JAMES EDWARD OGLETHORPE 

near a small stream, an arm of the great rippling 
tideway before the mansion. Near by were planted 
fields of corn, a crop from which the negro cooks made 
delicious bread and cakes, famed throughout the land. 
Beyond the corn stretched acre after acre of tobacco 
or rice, and great forests not yet cleared away. 

Much of the furniture of the mansion had been 
brought from England. Tables, chairs, sideboards, 
and cabinets of rare old mahogany adorned the stately 
rooms; and the silver and china were choice. The 
beautiful clear light of candles set in tall silver standards, 
the Russia leather chairs, the mahogany table spread 
with abundance, alike charmed the many guests of the 
hospitable planter. Here is what was served at a 
planter's table one day when the governor had called: 
''Then was uncovered the mighty saddle of mutton, 
reposing in the dish of honor, the roast pig, the 
haunch of venison, the sirloin of beef, the breast of 
veal, the powdered goose, the noble dish of sheeps- 
head and bluefish, and the pasty in which was en- 
tombed a whole flock of pigeons. These dishes were 
flanked by bowls of oysters, by rows of wild fowl 
skewered together, by mince pies and a grand salad, 
while upon the outskirts of the damask plain were 
stationed trenchers piled with wheat bread, platters 
of peas and smoking potatoes, cauliflowers and aspar- 
agus, and a concoction of rice and prunes, seasoned 
with mace and cinnamon." 



THE FATHER OF GEORGIA 265 

Once a year a vessel came from England to anchor 
at the pier. Then the household was all excitement. 
The vessel would take back the year's product of the 
plantation, and for it she brought from the Old World 
many articles eagerly longed for by the whole house- 
hold. She brought the ladies silk petticoats, stock- 
ings, and mantles, satin overdresses, plumed hats, 
gloves, riding-masks, ribbons, strings of pearls, and all 
the latest romances. She brought the men lace 
ruffles and bands, French boots and wigs, and tools 
and weapons of all sorts. No wonder the whole 
family, attended by the house servants, flocked to the 
pier when the sloop came in ! 

The mistresses at the head of these plantations led 
very busy lives. They taught their house serv-ants to 
knit, to sew, to mend, to make preserves, and to care 
for the sick. They them^selves embroidered cushions 
and covers and practiced upon the spinet. The men 
rode over the plantations to inspect the progress 
of the work, and they held long consultations with 
their overseers and clerks. For amusement there was 
horseracing and following the hounds in true English 
fashion. Balls were frequent and very popular, when 
every one, whether young or old, trod the meas- 
ures of the stately reels and quadrilles, keeping time 
to the scraping of the negro fiddler's bow. Truly, 
life in the South was far gayer and more joyous than in 
New England, where the days went colorless and sad. 



DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI 

I hope you remember the sad wanderings of De 
Soto. In 1 541 he discovered the Mississippi, and not 
long after was buried beneath the waters of the great 
river. 

For over a century the Mississippi was forgotten. 
It scarcely ever appeared on Spanish maps. Men 
rarely spoke of it. When they did, they called it the 
Unknown River. 

In 1608 Quebec was settled by the French under 
Champlain. As the French priests and traders pushed 
westward, they discovered the Great Lakes. Then they 
began to hear of a river to the west, as mighty as the 
St. Lawrence, which they knew so well. It would be a 
great service to France to discover and explore this 
river. 

In the spring of 1673, two Frenchmen set out to 
find the "Unknown River." Their names were Joliet 
(zho-lya') and Marquette (mar-ket')- Joliet was an ac- 
tive young man of twenty-eight. He had once been a 
priest, but at twenty-two he had chosen to become a fur 
trader instead. Father Marquette was a devoted priest 
who had come to Canada as a missionary to the Indians. 

Joliet and Marquette set out from the head of Lake 

266 



DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI 



267 



Huron with five men and two canoes. They paddled 
along Lake Michigan, up the Fox River, and down the 
Wisconsin River. This was a tributary of the Mis- 
sissippi. On the seventeenth of June, just a month 
from the day they had started, their canoes shot out on 
the broad waters of the Mississippi. 



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" They paddled down the Wisconsin River." 

Farther on in their journey they reached the spot 
where the yellow waters of the Missouri River enter 
the Mississippi. Logs and trees were borne down by 
the boiling torrent. The frail canoes whirled on the 
miry flood "like dry leaves on an angry brook." "I 
never saw anything more terrific," wrote Marquette. 

At last they reached the mouth of the Arkansas 



268 LA SALLE 

River. They thought they were much nearer the mouth 
of the Mississippi than they really were. The Gulf of 
Mexico was still some seven hundred miles away. But 
they had gone far enough to be sure that the Mississippi 
did not flow into the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of 
California. Its goal was the Gulf of Mexico. 

Content with this discovery, the explorers turned 
northward once more. 

Not long after Joliet and Marquette's voyage, an- 
other Frenchman planned the descent of the Mississippi. 
This was La Salle (la-sal')- He would complete what 
they had begun so well. 

La Salle was born in northern France. He had been 
trained as a Jesuit, but, like Joliet, he preferred a 
more active life than that of priest. He had a brother 
in Canada, and at twenty-three he sailed to seek his 
fortune in the New World. 

During the next eight years he was learning the life 
of the wilderness. He visited towns and settlements ; 
he studied Indian tongues ; he formed friendships with 
men of importance ; he came to know rivers, rapids, and 
forests. During this time, his most important service 
to France was the discovery of the Ohio Ri\'er. 

In the fall of 1674 La Salle sailed for France with a 
letter recommending him to the king's chief minister. 
This letter had been given him by his warm friend 
Fron'tenac, the governor of Canada. 

La Salle had rendered to France service as an explorer. 



DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI 269 

As a reward he made two requests of the king. He 
asked that he might be made a noble, and that he 
might become ruler and lord of a new post on Lake 
Ontario. This post he called Fort Frontenac, in honor 
of the governor. 

Louis XIV was most gracious to La Salle. He en- 
nobled him, made him governor of Fort Frontenac, 
and gave him grants of land in its neighborhood. 

In the next few years, La Salle's post on Lake On- 
tario was the center of much activity. The fort it- 
self was rebuilt and much strengthened. Indians 
settled near Fort Frontenac to be under La Salle's 
protection. Four vessels were built to ply over Lake 
Ontario. Altogether, Fort Frontenac became an im- 
portant center of the fur trade. 

The year 1678 found La Salle again in France, lay- 
ing yet more ambitious projects before the king. He 
secured permission to explore and to build forts in the 
regions beyond Canada, during the next five years. He 
desired, first, to prove that the Mississippi entered the 
Gulf of Mexico; and second, to fortify it against the 
Spaniards and the English. In return for his ser\dces 
the king gave him and his friends the trade in buffalo 
skins for the next five years. 

The next four years were strenuous ones. The mouth 
of the Mississippi was La Salle's goal. But at times 
it seemed as if earth and even heaven itself had con- 
spired against him. 



270 LA SALLE 

In the summer of 1678 La Salle sailed from France, 
carrying a carefully selected cargo. Here were an- 
chors, cables, and rigging for the ships he was going to 
build. Here were knives, hatchets, mirrors, red cloth, 
and trinkets of all sorts to delight the Indian heart. 

With La Salle sailed an Italian named Ton'ty. 
He was to be second in command. Tonty was that 
rare product, an absolutely loyal soul. During the 
next nine years, he served La Salle with a devotion so 
wonderful as to bring tears to the eyes. 

Early in the autumn the party reached Fort Fron- 
tenac. La Salle sent Tonty with a band of workmen 
to the Niagara River, near Lake Erie. There they were 
to pass the winter in building a vessel. 

It was not an easy winter. The cold was intense, 
the provisions were scanty, and many of the Indians 
were unfriendly. They even threatened to burn the 
vessel on the stocks. 

At last she was launched. How beautiful she ap- 
peared to the weary workmen ! Five small cannon 
looked from her portholes. The strange monster 
carved on her prow was a griffin, the arms of Frontenac. 
The vessel had been christened the Griffin. 

It was August when La Salle appeared. Business 
had kept him at Fort Frontenac. He owed much 
money and his creditors feared he was about to slip 
away from them forever. So they had seized lands he 
owned in various parts of New France. 



DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI 



271 



But all this La Salle would forget. The tempting 
wilderness beckoned. He sailed with Tonty through 
the Great Lakes to Green Bay in Lake Michigan. On 
the way he collected furs from the Indians. He decided 




The Griffin. 

to send the Griffin back to the Niagara River with this 
rich freight for his creditors. 

The men who were to push ahead with him were not 
pleased with this change of plan. They dreaded con- 
tinuing the journey in frail canoes. La Salle encouraged 
them. He pointed out that the Griffin would soon 
return and bring with her much-needed stores. 

The little party pushed on over unknown lakes and 



272 LA SALLE 

rivers. In January we find them descending the Illi- 
nois River, Near Peoria they came upon a large In- 
dian settlement with eighty wigwams on both sides of 
the river. 

La SaUe wished to show a bold front. He ranged his 
eight canoes side by side, and they moved on together 
into the heart of the Indian town. Squaws and chil- 
dren and braves hurried out to stare with M^onder at 
these white men in their very midst. When the peace 
pipe was shown, however, alarm was changed to joy. 

The Frenchmen were entertained in the town. 
Goods were exchanged. At last La SaUe confided to 
them his destination. 

The Indians discouraged him. They said the Missis- 
sippi was full of ugly monsters, rocks, and whirlpools. 
At its mouth its waters dashed themselves into a 
fathomless gulf. Their search would be a fatal one. 

At this bad news six men, including two of the best 
carpenters, deserted. Others tried to poison La Salle, 
but failed. 

La Salle now began the work of building a ship in 
which to descend the Mississippi. Where could there 
be a better spot for the labor than here on the Illinois 
River ? The Indians seemed friendly. By trade the 
Frenchmen could get all the necessary food. 

Tonty should command the new post and build 
the new ship. Some of the men could explore the 
Illinois River. La Salle himself must return to Fort 



DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI 273 

Frontenac, to get new stores for the ship. Long before 
this the Griffin should have returned to Lake Michigan, 
with the needed supplies; but now he felt sure that she 
had been lost. He would buy new stores and return 
at an early date. 

With five men he set out on the long journey. Part 
of the way was by canoes, part on foot. There was 
danger from wind 'and wave and wild beasts. The 
pathless wilderness itself was a terrible menace. Again 
and again Indians followed them for days. 

At the end of sixty-five days, the journey of about 
one thousand miles was over. La Salle reached Fort 
Frontenac after the most difficult journey ever taken 
by Frenchmen in America. His men had given out on 
the march ; he himself seemed as fresh as ever. 

And now followed blow on blow. Not only had the 
Griffin been lost, but a ship from France, richly freighted 
with La Salle's goods, had been wrecked at the mouth 
of the St. Lawrence River, and agents and creditors 
had done their best to plunder him. 

To cap the climax, bad news came by letter from 
Tonty. Nearly all the men at the post on the Illinois 
River had deserted him soon after La Salle's departure. 
They had destroyed the fort and had thrown into the 
river what arms and stores they could not carry away 
with them. 

La Salle bore all this with iron courage. Three 
months later he set off to the aid of Tontv and the few 



274 LA SALLE 

men with him who had remained true. His company- 
was made up of carpenters, masons, soldiers, and 
laborers, — twenty-five new recruits in all. 

In time they drew near the spot where the large 
town of the Illinois had stood. A tragic sight met 
their eyes ! The meadows were black. Burned corn- 
fields and charred lodges told the sad tale of war and 
fire. The terrible Iroquois had been there, and now 
wolves and crows were the only li\dng creatures to be 
seen. The half-built vessel was still on the stocks, 
although the Iroquois had stolen its iron nails and 
spikes. 

Eagerly La Salle searched for some sign of his faith- 
ful Tonty. He even descended the Illinois River to its 
mouth. Here, for the first time in his life, he beheld the 
river of his dreams, the great Mississippi. Now, how- 
ever, he could not follow the broad eddying current 
southwards. He was not prepared for a long voyage. 
With Tonty and the Illinois Indians away, he could 
not finish building the ship. 

A return to Fort Frontenac was necessary, where he 
could prepare for a third attempt. On the way a bit 
of good news broke the gloom. Tonty was alive ! To 
their great joy the two men met at last. Each had a 
tale of disaster to unfold. La Salle told all with tran- 
quillity, even cheerfulness. Some one who heard him 
said, "Any one else would have thrown up his hand, 
and abandoned the enterprise ; but far from this, with 



DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI 



275 



d firmness . . . that never had its equal, I saw him 
more resolved than ever to continue his work and 
push forward his discovery." 

On December 21, 1681, the third start was made. 
The party consisted of fifty-four French and Indians. 




La Salle descending the Mississippi. 

They were to descend the river in canoes and not in a 
good-sized vessel, as had been first planned. 

Over the wxU-known route they passed, and on Feb- 
ruary 6 they came out on the bosom of the Missis- 
sippi. The river was full of floating ice, which delayed 
them for a week. Then they pushed on once more. 

They passed the JMissouri River and came into 
warmer climes. Here was kindly spring at last. 



276 LA SALLE 

On April 6 they found that the main river divided 
into three broad channels. La Salle knew the sea must 
be at hand. Sending Tonty and another trusted leader 
down two passages, La Salle himself followed the third. 
This was the most western one. Parkman thus de- 
scribes the end of the voyage: 

"As La Salle drifted down the turbid current, be- 
tween low and marshy shores, the brackish water 
changed to brine and the breeze grew fresh with the 
salt breath of the sea. Then the broad waters of the 
great Gulf opened on his sight, tossing its restless bil- 
lows, limitless, voiceless, lonely, . . , without a sail, 
without a sign of life," 

La Salle had won at last. He had proved that a 
man's will can conquer nature and harsh circumstances. 
He could truly say "Man is man and master of his 
fate!" 

On April 9, 1682, the whole party gathered at the 
mouth of the river. The soldiers were drawn up with 
their muskets ; the Indians formed a wondering group 
a little to one side. A Tc Dcum was sung. Then 
La Salle planted a column bearing the arms of France, 
while guns were fired and shouts for the king filled the 
air. Then, in a loud voice. La Salle claimed the basin 
of the Mississippi from north to south and from east 
to west for King Louis. 

The little band of Frenchmen knew something 
of the claim from north to south, but had little idea 



DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI 



277 



what immense heart of a continent they were giving to 
their sovereign. The Mississippi tributaries rise in both 
the Rocky and the Appalachian mountains, and from 
the great eastern divide to the great western, — all was 
his. The name chosen for this vast region was Louisiana. 

There is little more to be 

'^ told of La Salle's story. 

That httle is, however, most 

tragic. He returned to 

«,™..™ „ France to secure ships, men. 



^^.^ '^"' 




" La Salle claimed the basin of the Mississippi." 

and money for his next venture. His purpose now was 
to establish a colony at the mouth of the Mississippi 
that the great river might be held for France. 

The small fleet entered the Gulf of Mexico and coasted 
along its northern shore. These were unknown re- 
gions ; the leaders knew nothing of winds and currents. 
The result was that they passed the mouth of the Missis- 
sippi and began to search for it as far west as the Texan 
coast. 



278 LA SALLE 

A vessel full of supplies was wrecked. Perplexed and 
forlorn, the company landed, and built rude shelters. 

La Salle bore himself, as always, with wonderful 
courage. He was to head a party who were to search 
for the Mississippi. He spoke most winningly and 
cheerfully to the forlorn women and children who were 
to be left behind. Then he turned his face resolutely 
eastward. 

Two months later the Mississippi still seemed as far 
away as ever. A few of La Salle's men mutinied. 
They first shot La Salle's nephew. Then they killed 
the great leader himself, leaving his body unburied in 
the bushes. Was not this a sad end for a life of such 
energy and lofty ambition ? 

La Salle's most serious fault was his haughtiness, 
but his virtues were many. His truth, his cheerfulness, 
his dauntless courage, his energy, all win our admiration. 

"His iron will and splendid courage . . . made him 
one of the grandest characters in history." 



THE JESUIT MISSIONARY IN AMERICA 

The earlier chapters have shown you how differently 
the European nations who came to America treated the 
Indians. The Spaniards thought of them as people to 
be robbed. The Dutch and English thought of them 
as people with whom they could trade. The red men 
brought furs from remote and dangerous forests to the 
safe trading posts. They were a great convenience. 

The thought of the French was very different. They 
traded with the Indians as did the Dutch and English. 
They, however, never lost sight of the fact that the 
Indians had souls. The souls of these savages would 
be welcomed into the fold of the Church as warmly as 
any souls in Europe. 

With this belief the French could not help treating 
the Indian kindly. Thus friendship, almost brother- 
hood, grew up between the two peoples. 

This friendship was fostered by the good governor of 
New France, Samuel de Champlain. The Indians 
trusted him. They called him their "white father." 

The first years in Quebec were crowded, arduous, 
dangerous. After the colony was safely launched, 
Champlain longed to teach the Indians Christian 
truths. 

279 



28o MEN OF NEW FRANCE 

With Champlain to wish was to do. On his next 
trip to France, he invited four priests to return with 
him to Quebec. Thus, in 1615, the gentle gray monks 
began to preach and to teach in New France. A little 
later five missions to the Indians were begun when 
there were but six brothers to carry them on. In 1625 
three Jes'uits came to assist. 

When England forced Quebec to surrender, the mis- 
sions came to an end. The harvest was not a plenteous 
one. There were only a handful of converts to show as 
the result of fourteen years of devotion. 

In 1632 Canada was restored to the French. Cham- 
plain returned as governor, and with him came four 
Jesuits. France had given to the Jesuits the task of 
converting the continent. It was a mighty trust that 
was met by mighty hearts. 

The order of Jesuits had been established by a sol- 
dier. Their great virtue was the same as the soldier's, 
— obedience. They must have no mind, no will of 
their own. The word of their Superior sent them to a 
fiery martyrdom, or to a lifetime of toil in a far-away 
quarter of the world. 

So, on the streets of Quebec, the tall, dark figure of 
the Jesuit grew to be a familiar sight. He attracted 
no more attention than the Indian, the fur trader, or 
the soldier from the fort. 

He wore a long black robe, with a rosar}^ hanging from 
the waist, and a wide black hat. Beneath the priestly 



THE JESUIT MISSIONARY IN AMERICA 281 



robe beat a heart with one single purpose, — to hve, to 
dare, to suffer, to die "for the greater glory of God." 

From the first the missions appealed to the Jesuit. 
He welcomed the 
hardships, the dan- 
gers, the possible 
death with open 
arms. 

The Jesuits fol- 
lowed a skillful 
plan of campaign. 
They would spend 
the summer at the 
trading posts, where 
the Indians gathered 
in great numbers. 
Here the fathers 
made friends. As 
winter drew on and 
the red men de- 
parted for their dis- 
tant homes, a father 
would accompany 
them. He would 
winter with the Hurons, the Micmacs, or the Ottawas. 
He would study their language and set before them his 
faith. Thus all through the St. Lawrence Valley, even 
to distant Lake Superior, there grew up Jesuit missions, 




Jesuits in the wilderness. 



282 MEN OF NEW FRANCE 

I wish there were space to tell of the gallant lives and 
devoted deaths of certain of these holy men, — of 
Brebeuf (bra-bef), of Jogues (zhog), of Le Jeune (le- 
zhen'), and others. I hope you will read of them some 
day in a wonderful book by Francis Parkman called 
The Jesuits in North America. 

Now, however, let us look at three pictures. These 
we will name the Jesuit in Camp, the Jesuit on the 
March, and the Jesuit under Fire. 

Father Le Jeune once wintered with an Algonquin 
tribe, living in their camps as they moved about from 
place to place in search of game. In their journeys 
from camp to camp their property was dra\\Ti on 
sledges or carried on the backs of the men and women. 
The Jesuit became a pack horse with the rest. 

After the new camping ground had been reached, it 
took three hours to raise the wigwam. While the 
squaws cut the poles of young birch trees, the braves 
shoveled away the deep snow. They left a shallow 
pit, banked with snow three or four feet deep. Into 
the snow the poles were thrust. They met in an angle 
overhead. Then the framev/ork was covered with great 
rolls of birch bark. 

A fire was built in the center. The hard ground and 
snow were covered with spruce boughs, and the rude 
lodge was complete. 

But it was not a place in which a civilized man could 
take comfort. The intense heat from the fire roasted 



THE JESUIT MISSIONARY IN AMERICA 283 

the father on one side, while the other side was frozen 
by the keen winds which whistled through the thin 
birch bark. 

The smoke, too, was often agonizing in its effects. 
There was an opening for it overhead, but during snow- 
storms it did not pass out well. Then the father lay 
on his face, with his mouth close against the damp 
earth. His throat was parched ; his eyeballs burned 
with fire ; he could scarcely breathe. Only the freez- 
ing temperature outside could force him to endure such 
misery. 

Often nineteen people would be packed into a space 
but thirteen feet square. Then there were the dogs 
to be reckoned with them. These creatures were some- 
times welcome on cold nights. They crouched close 
and helped to keep the human beings warm. But at 
meal times they were far from agreeable. They 
scratched and fought for food with the men and 
women. The food was often scanty. Sometimes it 
was merely bark from the trees, or scraps of leather. 

At times the missionary fled from the smoke, the 
rude talk, and the snarling dogs, into the pure cold air 
of the silent forest. By the light of the moon he read 
his prayer book . He saw the northern lights . He heard 
the tree trunks crack with the frost. Here was peace, but 
only for a while. The zero temperature soon forced him 
back to the filthy wigwam and the insulting Indians. 

How they loved to torment him ! "Look at him !" 



284 MEN OF NEW FRANCE 

they cried. "His face is like a dog's! His head is 
hke a pumpkin! He has a beard Hke a rabbit's!" 
Under such an attack, the father wisely kept silent. 
He patiently endured all his hardships for the sake of 
studying the language and character of the Indians. 

The Huron mission was established by Brebeuf in 
1634. It was a long, hard journey to the Indian village. 
Brebeuf would paddle for hours ; then the stream would 
be broken by rapids. All would spring from their 
canoes and guide them past the obstructions. The cold 
water would chill the limbs of the missionary, and the 
sharp stones would tear his bare feet. With soaked 
garments and bleeding feet, he would take up his paddle 
once more. 

Frequently the party came upon waterfalls. Here the 
canoes were lifted bodily from the river and carried for 
long distances upon the backs of the braves. The 
Jesuit had his share of the burden also. 

Wet, weary, hungry, shaking with cold, the father 
stumbled onward. Nothing awaited him at the end of 
the day but a handful of Indian corn mixed with water, 
and a bed upon the ground. 

Three hundred leagues lay between Quebec and the 
country of the Hurons. Thirty-five waterfalls and 
rapids lengthened the actual distance. But the father 
never murmured. Surely he repented his undertak- 
ing ? Never ! He rejoiced that he could endure such 
hardship as a soldier of Christ. 



THE JESUIT MISSIONARY IN AMERICA 285 

Within a few years several mission stations were 
established in the waUed towns of the Hurons. 

The Iroquois were the undying enemies of the 
Hurons. Whenever they could, they fell upon the 




In a French mission station. 

Huron towns, burned the houses, and slew the women 
and children. 

It was a warm July morning in the Huron village of 
St. Joseph. The gates were open to the fields and 
forests. Squaws were pounding corn, girls were chat- 
ting together, little children were playing in the sun. 



286 MEN OF NEW FRANCE 

Nearly all the warriors were away. Some were on 
the warpath, others were carrying furs to the French 
trading posts. Many villagers were gathered in the 
church, where Father Daniel was just finishing mass. 
Suddenly arose the cry, " The Iroquois ! The Iroquois ! " 

A host of warriors were rushing from the forest to- 
ward the undefended gates. Parkman thus describes 
what followed: — 

" Father Daniel ran out of the church and hurried to 
the point of danger. Some snatched weapons ; some 
rushed to and fro in a blind panic. The priest rallied 
the defenders, promised Heaven to those who died for 
their homes and their faith, then hastened from house 
to house, calling on unbelievers to repent. 

"They crowded around him, imploring to be saved. 
Immersing his handkerchief in a bowl of water, he 
shook it over them and baptized them. 

"They pursued him as he ran again to the church, 
where he found a throng of women, children, and old 
men gathered, as in a sanctuary. Some cried for bap- 
tism, some held out their children to receive it, some 
wailed in terror and despair. 

"'Brothers,' Father Daniel exclaimed again and 
again, as he shook the baptismal drops from his hand- 
kerchief, 'brothers, to-day we shall be in Heaven.' 

"The fierce yell of the war whoop now rose close at 
hand. The palisade was forced, and the enemy was 
in the town. The air quivered with the infernal din. 



THE JESUIT MISSIONARY IN AMERICA 287 

'" Fly,' screamed the priest, driving his flock before 
him. 'I will stay here. We shall meet again in 
Heaven.' 

"Many escaped through an opening in the palisade 
opposite to that by which the Iroquois had entered, 
but Father Daniel would not follow, for there still 
might be souls to rescue. 

"The hour had come for which he had long prepared 
himself. In a moment he saw the Iroquois, and came 
forth from the church to meet them. 

"When they saw him confronting them with a look 
kindled with the inspiration of martyrdom, they stopped 
and stared in amazement. Then, recovering themselves, 
they bent their bows and showered him with a volley 
of arrows. . . . 

"A gunshot followed ; the ball pierced his heart; and 
he fell dead, gasping the name of Jesus. 

"They rushed upon him with yells of triumph, 
gashed and hacked his lifeless body, and scooping his 
blood in their hands, bathed their faces in it to make 
them brave." 

Always the Jesuit died at his post. Always his 
courage overawed his enemies. Under Iroquois tor- 
ture the fathers proved themselves of as firm a fiber as 
ever Algonquin or Huron warrior. Their shining names 
add luster to the seventeenth century. "The noble 
army of martyrs praise Thee." 



THE TRAPPER AND THE SOLDIER OF NEW 

FRANCE 

The purpose of the French in coming to America 
was trade. The most profitable article of trade was 

fur, and especially the 
beaverskin. On one 
side of the ocean were 
leagues and leagues of 
unbroken forests in 
northern America 
teeming with big and 
little animals, all pro- 
tected by rich fur 
against the cold. On 
the other side were 
cities and towns in 
which were Europeans, 
eager to trim their 
cloaks and mantles 
Fur traders 




" Fur traders were needed, and they came.' 



and to make their hats of these same skins, 
were needed, and they came. 

Champlain and the early pioneers thought it best 
to have the Indians meet the whites once a year at 
some post on the St. Lawrence River. Here they could 

288 



THE TRAPPER AND THE SOLDIER 



289 



trade in a sort of annual fair. Montreal was the place 
chosen by Champlain, and the first fair was held in 
161 1. This was three years after the settlement of 
Quebec. 

In the late spring of 161 1 Champlain proceeded to 
Montreal. A fleet of small boats followed, containing 
keen traders. Champlain chose the spot and cleared 
the ground where the 
company was to meet. 
Not long after, he saw 
one day "a fleet of birch 
canoes come dancing 
down the surges of St. 
Lawrence like dry leaves 
in the froth of a riotous 
brook. ' ' It was a party 
of Hurons, the first of 
the red men to arrive. 

The traders fired their guns to greet them. The 
Indians were alarmed by the uproar. The traders 
crowded close around them and their furs, chatter- 
ing and making gestures in true French fashion. The 
Indians distrusted the traders ; they even thought that 
the white men intended to kill them. 

One night the savages sent for Champlain to take 
council with them. They said to him, "Come to our 
country, buy our beaver, build a fort, teach us the 
true faith, do what you will, but do not bring this 

COE F. — 19 




" A fleet of small boats followed." 



290 MEN OF NEW FRANCE 

crowd with you." Soon after they withdrew them- 
selves and all their goods to the farther side of the 
Lachine Rapids near Montreal. They felt safer there. 
The Lachine Rapids are very beautiful, swift, and 
dangerous. Champlain visited the Indians, and they 




" Champlain was the third white man to shoot the rapids." 

carried him back to Montreal in a canoe. He was the 
third white man to shoot the rapids. 

The Indians, in the early days of Montreal, shrank 
from the fur dealers, but they were to know their white 
brothers close at hand. For the dealers, eager for a 
good bargain, began to meet the Indians on their way to 
Montreal. They would hail the savages, treat them 



THE TRAPPER AND THE SOLDIER 



291 



to drink, and then secure good terms for the beaver- 
skins when the Indians were off their guard. 

The next step was easily taken. The traders tracked 
the Indians to their distant homes and made bargains 
there. Often they ceased to depend upon the Indian 




Beavers. 

and trapped the beavers and hunted the moose for 
themselves. 

As the demand for beaverskins increased in Europe, the 
numbers of settlers who shouldered their guns and took 
to the forest life likewise increased. They were called 
coureurs de hois (koo-rer' de bwah'), which means ''forest 
rangers." In America we have known tw^o great rushes 
for gold, — the rush to California in 1849 and the rush to 
the Klondike in 1898. There was a like stampede for 



292 



MEN OF NEW FRANCE 



beaverskins in the middle of the seventeenth century. 
The government had fixed the price and had ordered 
the dealers to buy all skins offered for sale. Thus each 
trapper felt sure of a market. 

Two motives called the trapper into the wild. One 
was the desire to make money ; the other was the love of 

adventure, the love of 
danger, the love of the 
unknown that lurked in 
the shades of the forest. 
But the rulers and the 
priests did not approve 
of this rush to the good 
greenwood. At one time, 
when the number in the 
colony were 10,000, fully 
800 men had become 
coureurs de bois. The 
evils were serious. The 
colony lost its young 
and strong men; families 
lost the fathers or sons 
and often fell into want ; 
farms were uncultivated, and soon became part of the 
wilderness. The coureurs de hois themselves changed in 
character. They became like the Indians of whom they 
saw so much. They grew vain and lazy. They decked 
themselves in finery and strutted around the towns on 




Coureur de bois. 



THE TRAPPER AND THE SOLDIER 293 

their return home. They would do no work themselves 
and they looked down on all who toiled with their 
hands. 

A citizen of Quebec at that time wrote in a letter 
home: "From the moment a boy can carry a gun, off 
to the woods he goes. The father cannot restrain him 
and dares not offend him. Judge of the mischief that 
follows." 

The king tried to stop every one from turning trader 
by passing laws. At one time there was a law saying 
that no one could enter the forests as a trader without 
a permit. Only twenty-five permits were to be given 
out each year. But the voice of the king seemed far 
away to the ears of the dwellers in New France. The 
call of the moose, the call of the rushing trout brooks, 
were near and insistent, and these they obeyed. 

The coureur de bois often dressed like the Indian by 
whose side he tramped through the wilderness. He 
wore leggings and moccasins of deerskin, and an eagle's 
feather in his cap. His skin was as sun-tanned as the 
red man's. Sometimes the coureur de hois preferred 
French fashions to Indian. Then he would wear 
a faded velvet coat and lace rufffes, somewhat the 
worse for wear. At all times he loved to cut a gallant 
figure. 

Two evils grew out of the fur trade. One was a 
matter of money. The beaver market became over- 
stocked. The trading company in France that handled 



294 MEN OF NEW FRANCE 

the skins could not sell them, and it fell into difficul- 
ties. The colony also was heavily in debt. Beaver- 
skins answered as money, and there were far too many 
of them at hand. What should be done ? 

Strange to say, three quarters of all the skins stored 
up in the warehouses were taken out and burned. This 
helped money matters somewhat. But think of the 
useless sacrifice of all those harmless little creatures of 
the forest ! It was pitiful. 

The other evil of the fur trade was the sale of brandy 
that was bound up with it. Brandy was the pay the 
Indians demanded. If the French refused them liquor, 
they would carry their skins to the Dutch or English 
and get the beloved drink from them. This the French 
knew, and so the exchange of brandy for beaver went 
on. 

A drunken Indian was a very dangerous creature. He 
often rushed around, kiUing whoever happened to get in 
his way. Thus it came to pass that the trading posts 
often became the centers of much crime. 

The soldiers in Canada entered into the fur trade. 
Their salaries were so small that they needed to add 
to them in every way they could. So brandy was sold 
to the Indians at military posts very freely. These 
garrison posts should have been noted for law and order. 
Yet several of them, on account of the revels of the 
Indians, came to be known as places of wild disorder. 

In the early days of the colony a man who sold liquor 



THE TRAPPER AND THE SOLDIER 295 

to an Indian was whipped. But later the evil trade 
seemed unchecked. 

In the seventeenth century most of the Canadian 
men served for a time as soldiers. When disbanded, 
they either turned coureurs de hois or they married 
and settled down to be patient tillers of the soil. 
"Habitant" is the French name for the peasant farmer. 
The habitant was the backbone of Canada. 

Trapper, soldier, and Jesuit priest went into the 
Canadian wilds with very different aims. But they 
all aided one great work, — • the charting of the mighty 
wilderness that stretched from their own dooryards 
along the safe St. Lawrence into the vast unknown 
lands to the north and the west. 



THE YOUTH OF GEORGE WASHINGTON 

Early in the eighteenth century Virginia was still 
a wilderness west of the Blue Ridge. The wilderness 
was not, however, an unbroken one. Traders had 
their posts in the forests, and a few settlers had made 
clearings. 

East of the Blue Ridge were broad rivers flowing to 
the sea. Sailing down those rivers the traveler caught 
interesting glimpses of frequent tobacco fields ; an occa- 
sional lordly mansion, with its smoke house, tobacco 
house, and slaves' quarters ; or perhaps a church with 
courthouse and tavern at hand. There were still but 
two towns in the colony, — Williamsburg and Norfolk. 

The family of Washington had been for three genera- 
tions in the New World. They came of an old and titled 
English stock, and were always known for their energy 
and loyalty. They were prudent men also. They 
had money which they invested -wisely in wide Virginia 
acres. 

George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, 
at Pope's Creek, Virginia. His father was Augustine 
Washington. His mother, Mary Ball, was his father's 
second wife. George had two half brothers, the chil- 
dren of Augustine Washington's first wife. Their 

296 



THE YOUTH OF GEORGE WASHINGTON 297 

names were Lawrence and Augustine. At the time of 
George's birth Lawrence was fourteen years old. 

In course of time George had younger brothers and 
sisters. Three more httle boys and two Httle girls 
came to make glad the farmhouse on the Rappahan- 
nock River. 

We know very little of George's early years. Be- 
cause of this fact, tales like the hatchet story have been 
invented. But there is little truth in them. 

What we do know is that George went to what was 
known as Hobby's school. Hobby was the old sexton 
of the village church. Here the boy learned to read, 
write, and cipher. He was always painstaking and ac- 
curate. These qualities are shown in his copy books, 
which still may be seen. The penmanship is bold and 
handsome, while the pages are models of neatness. 

George Washington was a tall, strong lad with a 
serious face and clear gray eyes. It is said that he could 
throw a stone across the wide Rappahannock River, 

The days on the plantation were full of healthful 
outdoor exercise. George's father began his training 
as a horseman, giving him his first lessons in leaping 
and jumping. The lessons were continued by an old 
negro servant named Sampson, who had a wonderful 
knack at managing horses, dogs, bees, and in fact all 
creatures. Shooting and fishing, with an occasional 
coon hunt in the evening, strengthened the powers of 
the growing boy. 



298 



GEORGE WASHINGTON 



Before George was twelve years old his father died. 
Mary Washington had now to bring up five little chil- 
dren. It was a serious task. 

She had, however, kind advisers in her stepsons. 
Lawrence Washington was now the head of the family. 
The largest part of his father's property had passed to 




" He always liked to watch the ships." 

him. He owned the beautiful plantation on the Poto- 
mac River, to which he gave the name Mount Vernon. 

Augustine Washington inherited rich lands in West- 
moreland County. There was good schooling near this 
brother's home, so for a while George lived with Au- 
gustine, making occasional visits to his mother on her 
farm. 

When George was fourteen, there was talk of his going 
to sea. The plan was attractive to him, as he had 
always liked to watch the ships that sailed up the 



THE YOUTH OF GEORGE WASHINGTON 



299 



river near his home. His hope would be to find a place 
in the king's navy. 

Just as George was making ready for this venture 
into the wide world, there came a letter from an uncle 
in England. He said that a sailor's life was full of hard- 
ships, and that there would be no opening for George in 
the navy. This settled the matter. Mary Washington 
was a woman of force and decision. George was to keep 
on with his schooling ; a sea life was not for him. 

Soon after this, George met Lord Fairfax, who had 
come from England to look after his great property in 
Virginia. Lord Fairfax was a man of wide experience 
and rich culture. He had been a soldier, but he was 
at home not only on the field of battle, but also in the 
court of the king. 

Lord Fairfax grew fond of George Washington. 
There was a quiet strength and dignity of bearing 
about the youth that caused men of the world to expect 
much of him. And their expectations were not dis- 
appointed. Boyhood had been left far behind ; at 
sixteen George Washington moved a man among men. 

For the last year or two George had been studying 
surveying. His first employment was given him by his 
friend, Lord Fairfax. His lordship had vast acres west 
of the Blue Ridge whose boundaries had never been 
clearly marked. In 1748 he offered George the work 
of making the survey. 

George Washington rejoiced at this business opening. 




ui,oie,t W d 11 lo ton as a surveyor. 



300 



THE YOUTH OF GEORGE WASHINGTON 301 

He was to go with George Fairfax, a young man of 
twenty-one. Fairfax was the leader of the Httle party, 
but the responsibihty for the survey was entirely in 
George's hands. 

They started in a wild season of the year. It was 
March, and the rivers were swollen with melting snows 
and spring rains. The crossings were often dangerous, 
as they swam their horses from shore to shore. 

Settlers' cabins were few and far between, and at 
best their comforts were meager. Often the party 
built their fires under the open sky. Then, rolling 
themselves in blankets, with their feet to the blaze, 
they watched the stars till sleep overtook them. 

Washington loved this outdoor life. He seemed to 
thrive under all the hardships. He came to know the 
Indians and the traders in this wild region, and that 
knowledge was of great value to him in after years. 

In about a month he returned to Lord Fairfax. 
The work was done and well done, and from this time 
on George had plenty of work as a surveyor. Soon 
after, Lord Fairfax made his home on the estates so 
carefully laid out by Washington. 

The poet Kipling writes : — 

" Creation's cry goes up on high 
From age to living age ; 
Give us the men who do the work 
For which they draw the wage." 

Such a man was the father of his country. 



302 GEORGE WASHINGTON 

Responsibilities come early to those who are fitted 
to bear them. Lawrence Washington died in 1752, 
leaving the care of his estate to George, who was then 
only twenty years old. Lawrence had one child, a little 
daughter, who would be mistress of Mount Vernon if she 
grew up. If she died, the estate was to pass to George. 

Washington had always been interested in arms. 
He was a major, and the charge of the militia of several 
counties had just been intrusted to him. Think of 
these responsibilities for one who had just turned 
twenty ! 

The year 1752 found the French and English thinking 
and talking much about the Ohio River. The French 
claimed it as a tributary of the Mississippi. The Eng- 
lish said it was a part of Virginia. Each side knew 
that if they wished to hold the Ohio they must act 
promptly. 

The French were first on the spot. They built a 
fort on the southern shore of Lake Erie. Then they 
raised two other forts at the headwaters of the Ohio. 

Governor Dinwiddle of Virginia was statesman 
enough to be very uneasy at this move. He was con- 
cerned for England, for Virginia, for himself. He owned 
rich lands in the Ohio Valley. 

He promptly sent the news to England. The mother 
country replied that Dinwiddle might drive the French 
out. But before resorting to bullets, he was to send 
them a message. This message was to point out cour- 



THE YOUTH OF GEORGE WASHINGTON 



303 



teously, but forcefully, that the French were trespassers. 
It also was to request them to withdraw. 

Who should take the message ? The errand called 
for a man of tact and sagacity. He must collect all 
the information he 
could in regard to 
the strength of the 
enemy. He must 
hold the friendship 
of their uncertain 
aUies, the Indians, 
and win other tribes 
to the English cause, 
if possible. Above 
all, he must not be 
hoodwinked by the 
wily French. 

Dinwiddle passed 
over older men and 
chose the youth, 
George Washington. 

Washington set 
out the very day the 
orders came. This 
was the thirtieth of October, 1753. With him went an 
interpreter and an experienced woodsman. 

It was a mlderness journey in the dead of winter. 
Trackless forests, icebound rivers, fierce snowstorms, 




" It was a wilderness journey 



304 GEORGE WASfflNGTON 

treacherous savages, — these were among the dangers 
he faced. But he passed unharmed. 

He deUvered the letter to the French commander, 
and received but small satisfaction. The chief officers 
said little, but the younger men were less prudent. 
From their words and preparations Washington saw 
plainly that the French did not mean to give way; 
they had come to stay. 

Washington's report gave entire satisfaction to 
Dinwiddle. The young man had acquitted himself 
with tact and shrewdness. 

The course of Virginia was clear, and Dinwiddle has- 
tened his preparations for war. There was one 
strong position that the French had not yet taken. 
This was at the junction of the Allegheny (al'e-ga-ny) 
and Monongahe'la rivers, the two streams that unite 
to form the Ohio. 

Dinwiddle hurried a company of soldiers to this 
place. Here they were to build a fort. Washington, 
now a lieutenant colonel, was to follow with more 
troops as soon as they had been gathered and drilled. 

The English were still working on their fort when 
the French came down the Allegheny in great numbers. 
Forty to five hundred were too great odds. The Eng- 
lish retreated, and the French finished their works. 
Fort Duquesne (du-kan') was the name they gave their 
new post on the contested ground. This was in April, 
1754- 



THE YOUTH OF GEORGE WASHINGTON 305 

Meanwhile Washington was leading his raw troops 
into the wilderness. Mountain roads had to be built. 
This was painful work and took many weeks. 

The last of May a small skirmish occurred. It is 
of interest only because here was shed the first blood of 
the French and Indian War. Washington with some 
forty men surprised thirty French and Indians. Both 
parties fired promptly, but Washington's order came 
a trifle the first. The French leader was killed and 
twenty-two men were taken prisoners. 

The French at Fort Duquesne had been reenforced 
in large numbers. They promptly marched against 
the English. Washington had thrown up some breast- 
works at Great Meadows. They were slight affairs of 
earth, but they gave his men some protection. 

When the French and Indians appeared, Washington 
drew up his men on the meadow. He thought the 
French would fight a pitched battle. But instead they 
lingered on the edge of the forest, shooting down the 
English with deadly aim. 

Seeing that his men offered an easy mark for the 
enemy, Washington ordered them behind the breast- 
works. It began to rain ; the earthen walls became 
mud, while the poor men found themselves kneeling in 
pools of water. The uneven contest continued for some 
hours. But there could be but one outcome. Wash- 
ington had to retreat. 

Terms were made with the enemy, and Washington 

COE F — 20 



3o6 GEORGE WASHINGTON 

brought off his men in excellent order from the field 
where, for the first time, he had met defeat. 

But failures often teach as much as successes. It 
was so with Washington. Perhaps the most useful 
lesson he learned at this time was to bear himself with 
cheer and unshaken courage when events were against 
him. This hard test he met often, and always well. 

The war had grown important. The mother country 
was now to take a hand. In 1755 two regiments from 
England arrived in Virginia. Their leader was General 
Edward Braddock. 

Braddock had fought in many battles. He knew 
exactly how soldiers should be drilled. He knew 
exactly the maneuvers of war as it was carried on in 
Europe. But of frontier fighting he knew nothing. 

Washington could have told Braddock much about 
forest warfare, but Braddock was perverse and hot- 
tempered. Why should he consult a raw Virginian, 
scarcely of age ? 

Fort Duquesne was first to be taken. Then they 
would move against the other French forts to the north- 
ward. The militia were gathered and drilled. But at 
all times Braddock showed that he depended for success 
on the troops he had brought with him from England. 

At length the start was made. Washington went 
with Braddock as his aide. He looked forward with 
joy to seeing English troops in action. 

The army carried an immense amount of baggage ; 



THE YOUTH OF GEORGE WASHINGTON 307 

they made roads and bridges as they went along. The 
march to the fort seemed to Washington very slow. He 
would have had the men carry but little and march 
at full speed. Why not ford the streams instead of 
stopping to bridge them? Their tardy progress was 
known to the enemy. It was important to reach Fort 
Duquesne before it was reenforced from Canada. 

Washington spoke to Braddock respectfully but 
decidedly. The old general divided his forces, and 
went on with part of them in light marching trim. 
But even then their progress was far too slow. 

At last they drew near the fort. They were but eight 
miles away, when they waded the shallow Monongahela 
River. Washington watched the sun striking upon 
the rich scarlet and gold uniforms and the glittering 
arms as they marched on in well-ordered lines. 

But that was the last of order they were to know, for 
they were suddenly attacked by a small but determined 
force of French and Indians. 

The English were brave. They drew themselves up 
in lines of battle and fired. But they were bewildered 
and perplexed and terrified. Where were the enemy ? 
All around stood ranks of forest trees, whence burst a 
steady haU of bullets. 

Again and again the English poured out their shot 
to no purpose. Little harm was done to their invisible 
foe, while they themselves were being mowed down 
moment by moment. 



3o8 



GEORGE WASHINGTON 



Braddock was everywhere, encouraging the men and 
urging them to stand firm. Washington also was in 
all parts of the field. He was indifferent to danger, 
although he was a marked man to both French and 




" A steady hail of bullets." 



Indians. They remembered the leader at Great Mead- 
ows and directed many of their bullets towards his 
towering form. Two horses were shot under Wash- 
ington and four bullets passed through his clothes. 

Meanwhile the despised Virginians had taken to 
cover. Behind the trees they alone maintained the 



THE YOUTH OF GEORGE WASHINGTON 309 

fight. The redcoats had broken ranks and had fled. 
Braddock struck them with his sword to force them to 
keep their places, but it was of no avail. 

They fled in terror from their unseen foe. They 
ran till they came to the troops in the rear. They 
passed them and continued on towards the nearest 
settlements. 

Braddock then ordered a retreat. A few minutes 
later he was mortaUy wounded. The command thus 
fell to Washington. 

With the aid of the Virginians who had remained on 
the field, he succeeded in carrying away the helpless 
general. Braddock died four days later. In his last 
hours he is said to have loathed the red British uniform 
and to have cared only for the blue coats of the de- 
spised Virginians. 

Washington read the funeral service over the body 
of Braddock. Then the dead general was buried 
in a grave dug in the road. Over the spot the heavy 
camp wagons were driven. This was to hide the loca- 
tion of the grave from the Indians. 

B ack to Philadelphia went the B ritish regulars . There 
was little glory in the campaign just over. Washington 
alone had reaped laurels. He had again shown himself 
£autious, wise in advance, brave on the field of battle, 
firm in the dark hour of retreat. 

One fact drawn from this experience he never forgot. 
British soldiers could be overcome in battle ! 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, GUIDE, PHILOSO- 
PHER, AND FRIEND TO THE AMERICAN 
PEOPLE 

Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston on January 
17, 1706. He was the fifteenth child in a family of 
seventeen children. Some of the elder brothers and 
sisters did not live at home, but even as it was, the little 
house on Milk Street swarmed with children. Ben- 
jamin says he remembers thirteen often sitting dow^n at 
table. 

At the age of eight, Benjamin went to the Latin 
school. But he was there scarcely a year. His father 
decided that he could not afford the expense of a 
college education. So Benjamin left the Latin school 
and attended a school where arithmetic and penman- 
ship were the chief studies. Benjamin did well in 
penmanship, but he did not succeed in arithmetic. 

When he was ten years old, his schooling ended. Now 
he must begin to work for his living. His father, who 
was a taUow chandler, took him into his shop. A 
chandler is a man who makes candles. Here Benjamin 
spent his time in cutting wicks, running molds, and 
going on errands. 

The boy disliked that sort of work, and Mr. Franklin 

310 



GUIDE, PHILOSOPHER, AND FRIEND 311 

tried to discover what his preferences were. He took 
walks with his son about town, where they visited shops 
and industries of all sorts. But Benjamin seemed 
to care for nothing but books. So at last his father 
decided to make a printer of him. 

This was easily done in the Franklin family. James, 
Benjamin's elder 
brother, was al- 
ready a printer, 
and papers were 
drawn up under 
which Benjamin 
was to be James's 
apprentice till he 
should be twenty- 
one years of age. 

Benjamin was 
now in his element. 
Type, presses, ink, 
proofs, all delighted 

his soul. His work " Benjamin was now in Ws dement." 

was thoroughly and carefully done. Furthermore, after 
a few years, he began to write. His papers he thrust 
under the door of the shop secretly. James and his 
friends read and approved, and Benjamin had the joy 
of seeing his articles printed in the newspaper that 
James was publishing at the time. 

As Benjamin grew older, the brothers quarreled 




312 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 

often, James was gruff, and Benjamin was inclined to 
be saucy and conceited. 

When he was seventeen, Ben decided to bear with 
his brother no longer. He took passage on a ship 
bound for New York, where he hoped to find work as 
a printer. William Bradford, to whom he applied, 
had no work to offer him. Bradford, however, advised 
Benjamin to go to Philadelphia, where his son, Andrew 
Bradford, had a printing office and might make a place 
for him. 

Benjamin had very little money now. He walked 
some fifty mUes across New Jersey towards Philadel- 
phia. Arrived at Burlington, he made the rest of the 
way by boat and reached Philadelphia Sunday morning. 

This city was to be henceforth his home. Franklin 
became such a notable citizen that his entrance into 
Philadelphia is most interesting. Let us have the 
story in his own words. "I was in my working dress, 
my best clothes being to come round by sea. I was 
dirty from my journey; my pockets were stuff 'd out 
with shirts and stockings, and I knew no soul nor where 
to look for lodgings. I was fatigued with traveling, 
rowing and want of rest. I was very hungry and my 
whole stock of cash consisted of a Dutch dollar and 
about a shilling in copper. The latter I gave the people 
of the boat for my passage, who at first refus'd it, on 
account of my rowing ; but I insisted on their taking it. 
A man sometimes is more generous when he has but 



GUIDE, PHILOSOPHER, AND FRIEND 



313 



a little money than when he has plenty, perhaps 
thro' fear of being thought to have but little. 

"Then I walked up the street, gazing about, till near 
the market house I met a boy with bread. I had made 
many a meal on bread, and, inquiring where he got it, I 
went immediately 
to the baker's he 
directed me to, in 
Second street, and 
ask'd for biscuit, in- 
tending such as we 
had in Boston ; but 
they, it seems, were 
not made up in Phil- 
adelphia. Then I 
ask'd for a three- 
penny loaf, and was 
told they had none 
such. So not considering or knowing the difference of 
money, and the great cheapness nor the names of his 
bread, I bade him give me three-penny worth of any 
sort. He gave me, accordingly, three great puffy rolls. 
I was surprised at the quantity, but took it, and, hav- 
ing no room in my pockets, walk'd off with a roll under 
each arm, and eating the other. Thus I w^ent up Mar- 
ket street as far as Fourth street, passing by the door 
of Mr. Read, my future wife's father ; when she, stand- 
ing at the door, saw me, and thought I made, as cer- 




" She, standing at the door, saw me." 



314 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 

tainly I did, a most awkward, ridiculous appearance. 
Then I turn'd and went down Chestnut street and part 
of Walnut street, eating my roll all the way, and, com- 
ing round, found myself again at Market street wharf, 
near the boat I came in, to which I went for a draught 
of the river water; and, being filled with one of my 
rolls, gave the other two to a woman and her child that 
came down the river in the boat with us, and were wait- 
ing to go farther. 

"Thus refreshed, I walked again up the street, which 
by this time had many clean-dressed people in it, who 
were all walking the same way. I joined them, and 
thereby was led into the great meetinghouse of the 
Quakers near the market. I sat down among them, 
and, after looking round awhile and hearing nothing 
said, being very drowsy thro' labor and want of rest 
the preceding night, I fell fast asleep, and continu'd so 
tUl the meeting broke up, when one was kind enough 
to rouse me. This was, therefore, the first house I was 
in, or slept in, in Philadelphia." 

There is not space for us to follow Franklin's career 
step by step. Let us pass over twenty odd years and 
see what Franklin was in 1748. This is an important 
year with this middle-aged printer. He has made a 
comfortable fortune and has sold out his excellent busi- 
ness to his late partner. He has done this that he may 
have the leisure in which to devote himself to studies in 
science. Electricity is of especial interest to him. 



GUIDE, PHILOSOPHER, AND FRIEND 



315 



Pf)or Rkhard, 5 7 ^ ^ . 

A N 

Almanack 

Foi the Year ofChrift 

1 



733 



It was a notable success for one who had started in 
life as a poor boy to be able to retire from active busi- 
ness at the early age of forty-two. It was due to the 
fact that Franklin was not only an industrious man but 
also a shrewd business 
man as well. 

Benjamin Franklin 
published a newspaper 
and, at one time, a maga- 
zine. The most success- 
ful output from his press, 
however, was Poor Rich- 
ard^ s Almanack. In these 
days every family had to 
have an almanac. The 
old-fashioned almanacs 
were packed full of valu- 
able information as to 
tides, seasons, moons, 
sunrises and settings, 
postal rates, etc. They 
hung beside the living 
room or kitchen fireplace, * '"^ imprdr.oa 

and were thumbed through by every member of the 
family. 

In 1732 Franklin issued an almanac under the name 
of Richard Saunders. Its success was immediate, 
and for twenty-five years an average of ten thousand 



Being the FIrfl after 1 EAP YEAR: 

Atii mahi fft iht €rtatim YezrS 

By the Accounr of ihcE fti"'n Grnit jj^i 

By (he Latin Chutch. whtn O em Y fiojj 

By the Computation of /^ /^ j^Jj 

By the Ronton Chronology ' t($82 

By the Jcv/ifi Habhiei , ^^j^ 

Wherein u comatred 
The donations, Eclipfcs, Judgment of 
the Weather, Spring Ti.ie«, Planet* Motions & 
motual AfpeSs Sun and Moon'i Rifing and Set- 
ring, Length of Days. Time of High Water 
Falrt, Gmrtt, and obrervable Day* ' 

Fitted tothe Latitude ol Fortv Degrees 
and a Meridian ofFiveHosr. Weft fromVwrfwi! 
biit may without fenfihle Error ferve all the ad- 
jacent Places, even from h!e<wfoundlaiul to Seiab- 



CuTolma. 



By RICHJRD iiy4UNDERS,Fhii^, 



PHILADRLPHIA: 

Punted and fold by B FRJNJiL/fJ, at tie Ni - 
Printing Office iKar jhe Market 



3i6 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 

copies were sold annually. It was found in the homes 
of almost every farmer, planter, and shopkeeper in the 
colonies. 

The Book of Proverbs, it is said, shows how to 
lay up treasure in heaven. Poor Richard's Almanack 
shows how to lay up treasure on earth. It preaches 
industry and thrift as the way in which to find comfort 
and success in life. Poor Richard's sayings are a part 
of our everyday thinking. Here are some of them. 

God helps those that help themselves. 
Never leave that till to-morrow which you can do to-day. 
Three removes are as bad as a fire. 
Little strokes fell great oaks. 
One to-day is worth two to-morrows. 

Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy 
and wise. 

Through the almanac Franklin's influence reached 
far and wide. He was an admirable teacher for the 
American people. 

Franklin believed that any business done in the right 
way, and with vigor, would pay. The post office had 
never paid in America. Franklin was made postmaster- 
general of the colonies. He improved the postal ser- 
vice at once. He reduced the postage; he advertised 
unclaimed letters in the newspapers; he had the post 
riders quicken their speed; and he undertook to carry 
all newspapers, not merely a favored few. Mails that 
formerly went out but once a week, went now three 



GUIDE, PHILOSOPHER, AND FRIEND 



317 



times a week. In cold weather it had been the custom 
for the post riders to go from Philadelphia to New 
York but twice a month. Franklin saw that they went 
over the route once a week, no matter what the weather. 
The result of all this energy was that the post office 
sent to England money enough to pay the salaries of 




Post rider. 

all the postmasters in America and three times as much 
money as the Irish postal system had ever paid to 
England. 

Benjamin Franklin had hoped for leisure in which 
to study science. He hoped to make some discoveries 
that would be of use to his fellow-men. But his fellow- 
men left him little time for himself. They said he 



3i8 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 




/'V^ \ 



must serve them in another way. They 
put him into public office and kept him 
there for fifty years. Little time was left 
for studies, but wonders were accomplished 
even then. He studied ventilation, fur- 
naces, and stoves. The result of thought 
in that direction was his invention of the Franklin stove. 
This is a stove having all the charms of an open fire- 
place, but giving a larger amount of heat. 

Franklin improved the fire department, the city 
watch, and the cleaning and paving of the streets of 
Philadelphia. He started the first circulating library in 
America, and founded the University of Pennsylvania. 
The most celebrated outcome of Franklin's studies 
was his paper on electricity. This describes the experi- 
ments by which he had come 
to the conclusion that light- 
ning is a form of electricity. 
One evening he and his son 
went out into the fields while 
a thunderstorm was raging. 
They carried a silk kite, a key, 
and other articles. Drawing 
the lightning from the sky, 
they found it to be the strange 
force known as electricity. 
Franklin's paper was trans- 
" They carried a silk kite." latcd into Several foreign Ian- 




GUIDE, PHILOSOPHER, AND FRIEND 



319 



guages and read throughout Europe. He was made a 
member of the Royal Society of England. He was also 
given a degree, so that now we must speak of him as 
Dr. Franklin. 

And now what were the political services of Franklin 
to the colonies, besides his service as postmaster- 
general ? One of the most famous was the Plan of 
Union that he offered to the Convention that met in 
Albany in 1 754. The French had begun to build forts in 
land that the English claimed as 
their own. As war was threat- 
ened, England ordered the col- 
onies to send delegates to 
Albany to make a treaty with 
the Iroquois. 

Before the Albany meeting, Franklin thought it 
wise to incline the minds of the people towards union. 
He printed at the head of his paper a picture of a rat- 
tlesnake in pieces labeled for the different colonies. 
Below was written "Join, or Die." This meant that 
the colonies must unite or they would be conquered by 
the French. 

On the way to Albany, Franklin drew up a plan of 
union. With his usual foresight, he wished to have 
something to offer to the convention. The plan was 
not original with him, but many of the details were his 
own. 

Franklin's plan was laid before the convention and 




320 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 

fully discussed. There were to be a president-general 
of the colonies appointed by the English crown, and a 
grand council made up of delegates chosen by the 
house of representatives of each colony. The central 
government was to have power to make treaties with 
the Indians, to levy taxes, and to provide for the 
defense of the colonies. 

Franklin's plan of union was accepted by the con- 
vention. Next, it was submitted to the colonies and 
to England. It suited neither side. England thought 
the colonies would have too much power ; the colonies 
thought the same for England. This made Franklin 
sure that his plan was exactly right. Had it been 
adopted, the French and Indian War would probably 
not have dragged on for nine long years. 

During and after the Revolutionary^ War, our 
debt to Franklin was great indeed. Of his political 
services in those times, however, you will read in an- 
other book. 



DEC 31 1912 







OA^ 



7A0 



6A^^ • 



